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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Nesting Instinct

I love living in Anchorage.  Very little gets cancelled when there are several feet of snow, but "slippery conditions" that seem to be very similar to yesterday's slippery conditions have shut down a large portion of the city schools.  Maybe I'm just being grumpy because I'd like to stay home today, too.

 
I really should take the computer cables
out of the background before taking
photos, shouldn't I?
It's been great to be home most evenings this week now that Love, Loss has closed.  I start rehearsals for my next directing project in a couple of weeks, but in the interim I am doing what I like to call "nesting."  As in, cleaning the house, catching up on the bad television I didn't see while I was performing (thanks, Hulu!), reading and cooking.

This recipe is an adaptation of one for sashimi that I received from Iron Horse, the Sonoma winery.  The recipes are often lovely but a little complicated.  I'm sure someone has Madras curry oil in their pantry, but it sure isn't the majority of their consumers.  With a little punting, though, this became a fantastic light main dish.  I just wish I'd had a colorful sauce to use as well.  Next time!

Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Curry Oil and Soy Glaze
Adapted from a Recipe by Chef Ming Tsai

1 lb. yellowfin tuna fillets, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. curry powder or curry powder blend (I used Penzey's Singapore Seasoning Blend)
Sea salt and pepper
1 shallot, minced
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbsp. brown sugar

Once you have pounded the tuna, cut into four servings.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and return to the refrigerator.

In a small pot, combine the lime juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then reduce heat to medium and cook for about a half hour, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced to about a fourth of its original volume.  Once it is finished, set it aside to cool and then pour it into a squeeze bottle.

In a ramekin or measuring cup, combine the olive oil and curry powder.  Stir and set aside until needed.

After the soy mixture has been cooking for about twenty minutes, warm a large saucepan over medium heat and remove the tuna from the refrigerator.  Add the curry oil to the saucepan, stirring to ensure even distribution of the spices, which will want to separate from the oil.  When the oil is warm, add the shallot and saute for about two to three minutes, until it is softened.  Remove the shallot from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the tuna steaks.  Sear them briefly, about a minute on each side, which will leave them just pink in the center.


Drizzle the plates with the soy glaze.  If desired,  dot any remaining curry oil on the plates too.  Plate the fish with a small portion of the shallots on top and serve with rice and a side of steamed or stir-fried vegetables.

Serves four as a light main dish.

29 comments:

  1. Mmmm, looks fantastic! I am a sucker for tuna, especially a wells eared one that's still red inside. Perfect!

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  2. Simple easy and Yummy for sure,I love fish :)
    Ridwan

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  3. I do like that Singapore Seasoning, it goes well with a lot of things! Tuna steaks are a rare treat here, but this is one of my favs when it comes to fish. It sure does look amazing-yum!
    Enjoy your free time in the next few weeks!

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  4. This looks so amazingly fantastic. My dad took a year long trip when he retired and drove out to Alaska. Had the time of his life.

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  5. Love this dish.So simple yet so flavorful and elegant!Love your plating with the drops of the sauce and oil!Nice :)

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  6. Love it! It looks like a dessert with chocolate drizzle. Enjoy your nesting time.

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  7. Nice with the curry powder and this give me an idea of what to do with the tuna sitting in my fridge. Over here, we are spoiled for choice of curry powder, plenty,plenty available from local and foreign brands.

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  8. I love how you drizzled the sauce on the plate. Very fancy but cozy home cooked meal. I need a lot of nesting time to clean up my house as this week was crazy busy. When the outside is cold, it's a great reason to stay home and tidy up the house. For us it's beautiful outside in SF and we tend to go out... =P

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  9. Wow, this sure looks yummy, I love tuna but have not experimented too much with it at home. I have got to try this soon, thanks for sharing. Good luck with your next play!!

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  10. Can I just say: FISH, any KIND of fish, any WAY. This looks wonderful! And I know what you mean when you say some recipes seem to be made for people with an unlimited supply of weird ingredients on their hands... You're one of the few and the proud (also including the list of other commenters here) who is not afraid to substitute! :)

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  11. I'm all for nesting.. I do it through most of winter. :) Enjoy your break.. you deserve it. This looks like a really fancy dish that could be served up at any restaurant. Very nicely done. :) Have a great weekend!! ~ Ramona

    PS.. hope you saw the award on my blog for you from 2-8. :)

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  12. What an elegant dish! I'm a huge fan of tuna, too, but never make it at home...must remedy that!

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  13. That's the perfect Valentine's Day dinner - so elegant and simple - decadent without being wicked.

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  14. Mmm I love seared tuna! The soy glaze sounds fantastic! Yum!

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  15. And here I thought nesting was what you did when you were pregnant! If cleaning and catching up on ad tv is nesting, then I do that all the time!!

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  16. Alaska is beautiful, but to cold for me. Your dish looks amazing.

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  17. Very fancy! I've always wanted to go to Alaska, but the cold weather has always deterred me. I love the curry oil idea!

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  18. I am drooling over your site! the food, the recipes, your photography.

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  19. I adore tuna too. It looks very flavourful and nice with drizzled curry oil on the plate.

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  20. I'm not a sea food fan, but I bet these flavors would be great with tofu! That curry oil sounds amazing.

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  21. I used to always forget to take all the background noise out of my photos and am still guilty of it from time to time now. The food still looks incredibly delicious even though I don't eat seafood very often. Have fun nesting for awhile!

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  22. I think the only thing I miss about living in a snowy climate is getting off school! But, that stinks when you can't get off work/school! This tuna looks so good! Love seared tuna!

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  23. Love this tuna with that fabulous soy glaze! Enjoy your down time and happy nesting! : )

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  24. This tuna looks yummy, love the soy glaze, mixed with curry powder, it must be tasting very different...by the way I am Suchi, new to your blog :-)

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  25. That tuna sounds delightful...so much flavor on that plate!

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  26. I want to drink that soy glaze! :D lol

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  27. Wouldn't we all love to stay home and enjoy those slippery conditions from the comfort of a cup of thick creamy hot chocolate. Alas, no rest for the wicked right? Your tuna looks delicious especially with the curry oil, which is such a great flavor. Hope you get to stay home soon!

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