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This dish shows off Tuna’s jewel-like colour against a background of lush greenery. Of course you can leave the Tuna in the pan for longer if you prefer more of a cooked texture … but you will lose the rich red colour.
INGREDIENTS:
1 x 600g piece sashimi-grade Tuna (see notes)
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
100g wild or baby rocket, washed and dried
¼ cup pine nuts
600g kipfler potatoes, boiled, peeled and sliced (see notes)
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced (see notes)
3 tablespoons verjuice (see notes)
METHOD:
Toss Tuna with salt, pepper and a little olive oil. Set aside.
Place the rocket in a bowl, dress with a little olive oil and salt.
Heat the pine nuts in a large frying pan, over a medium heat, until pale golden. Tip onto a plate to cool.
Add remaining oil to frying pan and cook the potato slices until golden on both sides. Remove from pan, drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
Increase the temperature to high. Place Tuna in frying pan and cook for 30-60 seconds on each side until well seared all over, it should still be rare in the centre. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly.
Meanwhile, reduce the heat under the frying pan, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until pale golden. Remove to a plate using a slotted spoon. Toss with rocket and potatoes.
Arrange Tuna slices in a circle on 4 plates and place salad in the centre.
Add the verjuice to the hot pan, swirl a couple of times and drizzle over the salad.
NOTES:
Remove the fish from the fridge 20-30 minutes before you cook it, to allow it to come to room temperature, this is particularly important if it is being served rare in the centre.
Sashimi-grade fish is normally sold trimmed, if it is not, trim off any skin and dark muscle before cooking.
Kipflers are waxy potatoes that hold their shape well when cooked; other waxy potatoes include charlotte or pink fir apple.
Use a Japanese mandolin to cut thin, even slices of garlic.
Verjuice is the unfermented juice of unripe grapes, it has a delicate sour flavour and can be used in place of vinegar or lemon juice in sauces and dressings.
ALTERNATIVE SPECIES:
Atlantic Salmon, Swordfish, Yellowtail Kingfish.