Toasted Fennel Crusted Tuna With Saffron Red Pepper Sauce And Spring Vegetable Couscous Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk together the beer and flour, season with salt. Hold refrigerated.
• Take 8 baby zucchini and blanch in salted water until tender. Puree in blender until smooth.
• Place the fennel and remaining zucchini and squash in a small pan and cover with vegetable stock. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and braise over low heat until tender. Season with salt.
• Place all ingredients for pea pesto except the olive oil into a blender and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil.;
• Place the salt block directly on the stove top and heat until hot about 5 minutes. Toss the tuna in olive oil and season with salt, fennel pollen and pepper. Place in a cryovac bag and cook, sous vide-style, at 130 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from the bag quickly sear the tuna on the salt block on all 4 sides.
• Dip the blossoms in the beer batter and fry at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Smear the pesto across the plate and arrange the vegetables in the pesto. Slice the tuna thinly and place around the vegetables. Serve alongside fennel, courgettes, pesto and garnishes.

Steps:

• Place toasted seeds, white pepper and salt in spice grinder. Grind to the size of coarse ground pepper. Brush outside of tuna with olive oil. Crust tuna loin with ground spice mixture. Sear tuna in a non-stick pan, using olive oil sparingly, approximately 45 to 60 seconds on all sides. Should be golden brown on the outside and pink in the center. Slice into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces and serve with papaya salad. Can be stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Steps:

• To prepare the watermelon salsa, in a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
• To prepare spice blend, grind all spices in a mini food processor or spice grinder they are powdery. Spread the spice mixture evenly on a large plate.
• Rinse the tuna fillets and pat dry. Place one side of each piece of tuna into the spice mixture. Shake off excess.
• In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Carefully place two of the tuna fillets, spiced side down, into the skillet. A spice crust should form within 1 minute. Using kitchen tongs, turn over the tuna, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 2 to 5 minutes to desired doneness. Repeat the process with the remaining tuna fillets. For Watermelon Salsa:

Steps:

• Sauce -- Start to prepare the sauce. In a large NOT non stick pan which you will be cooking the tuna in add the fennel seeds over medium and just toast a few minutes to get lightly toasted. No oil, just a dry pan and will only take a minute. Remove when toasted and just set to the side.
• Now if you don't have fennel seeds, don't panic. The dish will taste just fine. I just like that additional layer of flavor but don't worry and don't make a extra trip to the store just for them. They do however make a great additional to your spice cabinet.
• Tuna -- Remove tuna from the fridge to take some of the chill off. I like to cook mine more and room temperature. Prepare all your vegetables. For the fennel, remove the green parts and slice like a onion.
• Vegetables -- Roast your tomatoes and fennel in a 400 degree oven. On a cookie sheet covered with foil or parchment paper, lightly drizzle your tomatoes and fennel with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast 10 minutes, just until slightly brown and the tomatoes start to soften. Don't over cook you still want them fresh tasting.
• Tuna round II -- As the tomatoes and fennel cook, start your tuna. Season well with salt and pepper and in that same pan you toasted the fennel seeds heat on medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sear the tuna until it gets a nice crust on one side without moving. Should take 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness. Thinner cuts will take much less and you do not want to over cook it. Flip over and the second size will take even less time. You want it rare - medium rare, so I usually remove when rare. Set to the side and cover with foil as you make the sauce.
• Olive sauce -- in the pan that you cooked the tuna in, add the garlic and shallot and cook just a minute also on medium to medium high heat. You can add a little extra olive oil if necessary, but you shouldn't need any. Then add the white wine and red pepper flakes. Let cook another minute to reduce slightly. Then add the olives, lemon juice, zest, any additional salt and pepper if needed, but olives are salty so be careful. The last thing, stir in the fennel seeds and then just let simmer on medium for another minute just to slightly reduce. Remember, this is a thin sauce, not a gravy.
• Plate it up! If using a salad like I mentioned in the description, I would plate the salad, then top with the tuna. Top with a slice or two of the tomatoes and a few fennel slices. Then drizzle the olive sauce over the whole thing. ENJOY!

Steps:

• Roast the pepper directly over a gas burner or under the broiler, turning often until uniformly charred. Remove from the heat, and place in a bowl. Cover tightly, and allow to cool.
• While you're waiting for the pepper to cool, make the tuna filling. Combine the garlic and a generous pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle, and mash to a paste. Add the anchovy, if using, and mash with the garlic. Add the capers, and mash together. In a bowl, break up the tuna with a fork, then stir in the garlic mixture, the lemon juice, olive oil and the yogurt. Add more yogurt or olive oil if the mixture seems dry. Season to taste with pepper (it should not need salt), and stir in the parsley.
• When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel and discard the blackened skin, rinse briefly and pat dry. Cut away the top, then cut or pull apart the pepper into thirds. Remove seeds and membranes, holding the pepper over a bowl so that you can catch any juice. Lay the pepper pieces on a plate. Season with a little salt and pepper if desired, and fill with the tuna mixture. Serve.

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until leeks are limp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the fennel and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. The mixture should be very soft.
• Meanwhile, season the albacore steaks with salt and pepper and heat the remaining olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Sear the albacore steaks for 30 seconds on each side. Place on top of the fennel. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
• Sprinkle on the parsley and serve, laying the fish on top of the fennel, with lemon wedges on the side.

Steps:

• Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy small skillet. Toast over medium heat until fragrant, shaking skillet occasionally, about 3 minutes. Grind spice mixture in spice grinder. Transfer to bowl; mix in 1 teaspoon salt.
• Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, and half of garlic in small bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store spice mixture airtight at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate lemon aioli.)
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot and onion and sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add thyme and remaining garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add 2 1/4 cups water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil. Add sugar snap peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer peas to plate. Immediately add couscous to water in skillet and stir to combine. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Transfer to bowl and cool completely. Mix in sugar snap peas and dill. Season to taste with pepper. (Couscous can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Prepare barbecue (high heat). Coat tuna with 6 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with spice mixture. Grill tuna until seared outside and rare in center, about 4 minutes per side. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon couscous onto plates. Top with tuna and drizzle with lemon aioli.

Steps:

• Lightly brush tuna steaks with some additional oil and season with salt. Crush fennel seeds and peppercorns coarse in a mortar with a pestle and press onto both sides of tuna steaks. Let tuna steaks stand on a plate 10 minutes.
• In a heavy non-stick skillet sauté fennel bulb in 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden. Add bell pepper and garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add water and simmer vegetables, covered, 10 minutes, or until fennel is tender. Remove lid and, if necessary, boil mixture until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.
• While fennel mixture is cooking, brush a heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, with some additional oil and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté tuna steaks 2 minutes on each side, or until barely pink in center, for medium meat. Transfer tuna steaks to plates and spoon fennel-pepper mixture over and around them.