Mediterranean Tuna Steaks

The sizzle of meat hitting a hot grill has this wonderful therapeutic effect that wakes you up to the weekend. Grilling's especially great with a fish like tuna, with light seasonings and herbs to complement the rich flavour or dense texture of the fish. I've made a mediterranean inspired tuna chermoula with sumac and cilantro. The sumac can be replaced with fresh lime juice, but juice the fish after the cooking's done, as lemon juice gets quite bitter when heated. I also used a grill pan for the fish, so this can quite easily made indoors, but a charcoal grill would be ideal for the fish. Also, it should be served with something that can soak up the juices of the grill, like rice or pita.

Ingredients

• 200 g tuna filet, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 stalks of cilantro, chopped
• 1 capsicum, cut into square
• 1 tomato, quartered
• 1 cup cooked rice and lemon wedges to serve

Method

1. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, rosemary, oregano, garlic, cilantro, pepper, salt and sumac together to create a thick chermoula. Baste liberally over the tuna pieces and leave aside for an hour to marinate.
2. Clean and oil two skewers and oil a grill pan. Thread the tuna pieces, capsicum and tomato pieces in sequence on the skewer. Baste the skewered meat with the remaining chermoula.
3. Heat the grill pan on high heat and place the skewers on the pan.
4. Cook once on both sides and then lower the heat to medium. Cook it evenly on all four sides.
5. Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining chermoula and rice. Toss the rice around and create a bed of the rice on a plate. Loosen the meat and serve up on the skewer with lemon wedges.

Tuna Tagine with Fresh Capellini

I found this wonderful store here that stores mediterranean spices and preserves, like sumac and preserved lemons; I jumped at the bottle of preserved limes, simply for that wonderfully tart flavour that it brings to stews. Tuna season's also back, and since I'm presently obsessing over fresh pasta, I decided to bring all of it together with a tuna tagine served over fresh capellini. The capellini recipe can be found here, and use the finest white flour available, else the capellini wouldn't hold its form when thinned down.

This tagine is a simple enough dish, with a thick tomato base and light lemony tones brought in by the sumac and preserved limes. Also keep a little sumac aside for dusting. I've used tuna for the tagine, but any firm white fish can be used. However, if you're using a mild flavoured white fish, marinate it in the chermoula over-night. With tuna, as it is a strong flavoured fish, around 2 hours in the chermoula should suffice, as it would lightly complement the flavour of the tuna.

Ingredients

Fish and Chermoula

• 400 g fresh tuna filet, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks coriander, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tbsp water

Tagine

• 1 medium onion
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
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Mustard Crusted Tuna with Spiced Couscous

Its tuna season, at least in Bangalore it is, and there were some wonderfully fresh specimens at the store. I love the feel of tuna, its skin has this leathery quality and the entire fish glistens in the light. I also decided to filet it at home, which with tuna is such a painful task as it has these little pin bones throughout. I served it up with a yellow mustard crust and some saffron infused couscous. The mustard adds a bitter crust, so if you're not serving it with the couscous, choose something a little sweet to cut through the bitterness.

Ingredients

Tuna

• 2 skin-on filets of tuna
• 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4 peppercorns
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Couscous

• 1/2 cup dry instant couscous
• 1/2 cup water (or such other quantity as specified in the couscous instructions)
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1/2 onion, filed chopped
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1 pinch saffron
• 4 almonds, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Grind the mustard seeds, paprika and peppercorns into a fine mixture.
2. Pat dry the tuna filets and rub salt into them.
3. Place them skin side down and dust with the mustard seeds powder. Cover the flesh side evenly with the mustard powder mixture by shaking the dish.
4. Set aside for 15 minutes.
5. Heat the oil in a pan, on high heat. 
6. Once it starts smoking, reduce the heat to a medium-high and add the tuna filets skin-side down.
7. Let the skin crispen up and then flip to cook the flesh side down.
8. Once the mustard crust forms and the fish is cooked to your desired doneness (I like it well done), remove from the heat.
9. Add the saffron to the tbsp of hot water and set aside to infuse.
10. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions.
11. Sweat out the onions till they turn translucent, then lower the heat and add the couscous.
12. Stir around to even coat the couscous and add the nutmeg powder.
13. Heat the remaining water and add the saffron liquid to it.
14. Add the hot water to the couscous and set aside for 5 minuted, covered.
15. Add the chopped almonds to the couscous and fluff it.
16. Create a bed with the couscous and place the fish on top. Serve hot, with a sprinkling of lime juice.