No wonder they call blue fin tuna the king of the sea
Right now schools of blue fin tuna are running off the coast of south east Australia. It's a very controlled short season so that the stocks of these wonderful fish can grow which is now happening. Blue fin tuna are extraordinary - incredibly delicious and full of health benefits. They are highly prized, particularly in Japan, where a single fish in perfect condition can sell for thousands of dollars in the Tokyo fish market. The meat is dark red in colour and, depending on the cut, very lean. A fisherman friend in Narooma found me the most perfect loin which I prepared very simply, just seared an all sides leaving the middle very rare. I like to combine it with avocado which is also in season. The texture and mild sweetness of the avocado is perfect with the tuna, a combination that is simple and memorably delicious.
- Ingredients
- for 4 people as a main dish
- 5 ripe avocados
- 600 gr blue fin tuna loin
- fresh herbs like Italian parsley, dill, tarragon, oregano and sorrel
- 8 anchovy filets
- 4 baby, pickled cucumbers
- 1/2 cup good virgin olive oil
- 100 ml fresh lemon juice
- 1 chilli, some seeds and filaments removed
- 3 garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste
on a very hot griddle, sear the tuna all over just for a few minutes on each side
push 4 avocados through a ricer adding half the lemon juice, salt pepper and 2 crushed garlic cloves
mix everything well and spread on a serving plate
now dice the cool tuna
in your magi-mix put all the herbs, anchovies 1 garlic clove, chilli and the rest of the lemon juice and the olive oil
whizz until you get a nice consistency, taste for salt and pepper
mix well with the tuna and spread over the avocado mash
thinly slice the last avocado and arrange on top of the tuna
serve with some crunchy sour dough baguettes
