COOKED TUNA
Level 2
Oil-Poached Tuna Salad with Capers & Shallots
from Erick Williams of mk, Chicago
If you enjoy ultra-fresh fish, there are two options: a melt-in-your-mouth sushi or high heat searing. The day after, though, your choices narrow. So what interesting things can be done with sushi or pink-centered fish? Erick suggests taking raw or rare Tuna and poaching it in enough extra virgin olive oil to cover over a low flame (not past a simmer). He adds hard herbs like fresh or dried rosemary, thyme, basil, and a few cloves of crushed garlic.
Prepping tip: Smack-n-cracking garlic with the back of a wooden spoon helps release the chemical perfume inside the garlic.
Erick simmers the oil very slowly until the fish flakes easily when poked with a fork. He puts the fish aside on a platter lined with greens, discarding the herbs and garlic. In the remaining oil, he drops a tablespoon of capers, give or take some finely chopped fresh shallots, rosemary and a dollop of whole grain mustard. He whisks the mixture together just before drizzling it over the tuna. Garnished with chopped parsley or chives, this “fruit-flavored salad” (as in the olive fruit of the oil) you could swear the tuna tastes fresh all over again – a far cry from the canned stuff.
Flavoring tip: When choosing dressings to complement your creations, remember the operative word - complement. Think of dressings as a kind of sauce for salads, enhancing without over-powering. And remember this simple rule of thumb; the more flavorful the fish, the more it can support a fuller-bodied dressing. Delicate fish often does best with something simple and light, for instance Tarragon and olive oil vinaigrettes.
