After talking to Chef Weissgerber and hearing all about the dishes he creates for Zuma our mouth was watering. Below is his recipe for Seared Tuna, made especially for the Japanese food lover in all of us.
Seared Tuna with Chilli Daikon & Garlic Chips
Serves 4
500 g tuna fillet (ask for small diameter cut of the loin)
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 medium red onions
1 red chilli
2 stems ginger
1 clove of garlic
25 ml sake
25 ml soy
25 ml rice vinegar
15 g caster sugar
5 stems spring onions (sliced very thinly, green part only, and washed to remove strong taste)
40 pc garlic chips (sliced on mandolin and cooked in oil at 120 degrees till crisp)
2 g momiji oroshi (Japanese chilli paste)
15 g daikon (peeled and fine grated)
160 ml Ponzu sauce (recipe to follow)
Directions:
1. Prepare and trim tuna fillet into rectangular shaped log.
2. Heat a pan to smoking point lightly oil the pan and rub with paper towel to remove excess.
3. Oil the fish fillet, season with salt and pepper and sear in the hot pan for 15 seconds on each side, seal on all sides evenly.
4. Once sealed, place in ice water to stop the cooking process.
5. Slice the tuna tataki into thin 3 mm thick slices.
6. Finely slice the red onion, and very finely chop the chilli, ginger and garlic.
7. In a hot pan add a little oil and cook the onion a little, add the chilli, ginger and garlic and cook just until the onions are tender but not soft. Deglaze with sake, soy, rice vinegar and sugar.
8. Place the onions on a tray in the fridge to cool.
9. Divide onions into 4 serving bowls.
10. Place 6 folded slices of tuna tataki on top of the onions in each bowl.
11. Finish with the 5 or 6 slices of spring onion over the tuna.
12. Mix the Momiji Oroshi and grated daikon together and place next to the tuna in the bowl.
13. Add 40 ml ponzu sauce to each bowl.
14. Sprinkle 6-8 garlic chips onto the tuna.
Ponzu Sauce
50 ml soy sauce
15 ml mirin
20 ml rice wine vinegar
10 ml sake
10 ml tamari soy
10 cm konbu
5 g bonito
1 whole orange, sliced
Directions:
1. Combine the mirin and sake and bring to a boil.
2. Cook until all the alcohol is burned off.
3. Add the remaining liquid ingredients and the Konbu.
4. Just before the liquid comes to a boil, remove from heat.
5. Add the Bonito flakes and oranges and allow to cool.
6. This sauce can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 months and used on grilled fish, meat or vegetables.
