Seared Tuna with Pistachio Crust and Papaya Salsa
This recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi's eponymous cookbook isn't quick to make, and it requires planning ahead by at least half a day, but it's certainly worth the effort.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Papaya salsa:
- 1-2 small Persian cucumbers (or half an English cucumber)
- 1 large (1½ lb) ripe papaya (about 1 ⅓ cups when diced)
- 1 large ripe mango (about 1 ⅓ cups when diced)
- 2 small red chillies
- 10 g (½-inch piece) fresh ginger peeled
- 1 small red onion minced
- grated zest and juice of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar superfine if possible
Ahi Tuna
- 2¼ lb (1kg) ahi tuna loin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to coat
- coarse sea salt and black pepper
- grated zest of 1-2 lemons
- 5 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 150 g (1¼ cups) shelled pistachio nuts toasted, if desired*
Instructions
Papaya Salsa
- Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthwise, remove any seeds, then dice into ⅜ inch pieces. Add to a large bowl or tupperware container. Repeat the same process for the papaya and mango. Finely mince the red onion, then add to the bowl. Destem, deseed, and finely chop the red chili peppers, then add to the bowl.
- Grate the peeled ginger into the container, then add in the lime zest and juice, lemon juice, fish sauce, olive oil and sugar. Toss everything to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste (about 5-6 grinds each), and toss again. Taste, adjusting seasoning as needed. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or until ready to serve.
Seared Tuna
- Use a food processor to pulse-grind the pistachios into fine crumbs, being careful not to turn them completely into a paste. Mix the pistachios with the lemon zest and spread out on a large plate or sheet pan.
- Preheat the oven to 500℉ and heat a large grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cut the tuna loin lengthwise into 2-3 cylindrical pieces. There are natural divisions of the fish you can use as a guide. Brush each piece of tuna all over with the olive oil, then season with a couple grinds each of salt and pepper.
- Add the tuna pieces to the hot pan and quickly sear on each side, for no more than 3 minutes total. The tuna should be slightly raw in the center and just cooked on the edges (with about a ½-inch margin).
- Now, brush the exposed sides of the just-seared tuna pieces with olive oil, then brush generously with the mustard. Roll the tuna in the pistachio coating, so that it's fully covered in nut mix.
- (see Notes for serving chilled option)
- Place the tuna on a baking rack, and place in the pre-heated oven for no more than 5 minutes. You are looking for a cooked border of ½-¾ inches, while the middle should still be raw and not warm. Allow the tuna to cool completely (you can place it in the fridge to speed the process). Slice the chilled tuna into ½-¾ inch thick slices. Serve with the papaya salsa on top or on the side.
Notes
*Toasting the pistachios will bring out their flavor but you will lose some of their bright green color.
The papaya salsa will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator.
Instead of baking, you can also serve the tuna slices chilled. Instead of placing in the oven after coating in the mustard & pistachios-
To serve later, wrap the coated tuna pieces in plastic wrap, roll the plastic wrap up tightly around each piece of fish, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Slice the chilled tuna into ½-¾ inch thick slices. Serve with the papaya salsa on top or on the side.