Rare Tuna Confit Recipes

Steps:

• Place tuna in a bowl, cutting it into several pieces if necessary. Add olive oil, the garlic, thyme and lemon peel. Cover, and marinate 6 hours, refrigerated or at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Transfer contents of bowl to a saucepan, bring to a simmer, lower heat and cook 5 minutes. Shut off heat. Tuna will still be pink in middle. Let cool 30 minutes.
• Remove tuna, drain well, transfer to a bowl and mash coarsely with a fork. Fold capers, shallots, mustard and sherry vinegar into tuna. Whisk 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with chicken stock and grape seed oil. Fold into tuna. Season with salt and pepper. (Mixture should be fairly loose.)
• To serve at once, place mounds of tuna on each of 6 salad plates, scatter with more capers and serve with toast, as a first course. Otherwise, refrigerate tuna until 30 minutes before serving; then divide onto plates and serve.

Steps:

• Season tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Place in a heatproof container, just large enough to fit steaks in a single layer. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat remaining ingredients until garlic cloves begin to turn golden brown. Pour mixture over tuna; it should cover the fish.
• Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. To serve, thinly slice the tuna and lay over dressed salad greens.

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, a healthy pinch of salt, some pepper, and the thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to sizzle, a minute or two. Adjust the heat so that you have to stir only every 5 minutes at most to keep the onions from browning. They will become progressively softer; do not allow them to brown. Figure at least 30 minutes total for the onions to cook.
• Core the tomatoes, then cut them in half horizontally. Squeeze and shake out the seeds, then cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch dice. Preheat a grill to moderately hot.
• When the onions are very soft, almost a shapeless mass, season the fish and grill it, turning once, for a total of about 6 minutes for tuna, 8 to 10 minutes for swordfish; check for doneness by making a small cut in the center of the fish and peeking inside. (Tuna can be quite rare; swordfish is best cooked to medium, when its interior is still slightly pearly rather than completely opaque.) While the fish is grilling, stir the olives and tomatoes into the onions and raise the heat a bit; cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes liquefy and the mixture becomes juicy. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the fish on a bed of the onion confit.
• Variations
• Chicken with Onion Confit: Serve the onions with grilled skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
• Omit the thyme and use a bay leaf instead, or finish the dish with a handful of chopped fresh basil, chervil, or parsley.
• Cook some finely chopped aromatic vegetables, like carrots, celery or fennel, and garlic, along with the onions.

Steps:

• Place tuna in a bowl, cutting it into several pieces if necessary.
• Add olive oil, the garlic, thyme and lemon peel.
• Cover, and marinate 6 hours, refrigerated or at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Transfer contents of bowl to a saucepan, bring to a simmer, lower heat and cook 5 minutes.
• Shut off heat(tuna will still be pink in middle); let cool 30 minutes.
• Remove tuna (reserving two tablespoons of the olive oil mixture), drain well, transfer to a bowl and mash coarsely with a fork.
• Fold capers, shallots, mustard and sherry vinegar into tuna.
• Whisk the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with chicken stock and grape seed oil.
• Fold into tuna.
• Season with salt and pepper (mixture should be fairly loose).
• To serve at once, place mounds of tuna on each of 6 salad plates, scatter with more capers and serve with toast/crostini, as a first course.
• Otherwise, refrigerate tuna until 30 minutes before serving; then divide onto plates and serve.