Escabeche of Ahi Tuna with Papaya-Mango Relish
Makes 50 appetizer-sized
portions
Escabeche of Ahi Tuna with Papaya-Mango Relish |
This is one of my favorite
appetizers-to-impress. Several good friends were recently kind enough to have a
All Larue dinner for 14 guests – all from recipes from my blog! My
responsibility was to bring an unpublished surprise appetizer. This is the
recipe that kicked off a memorable evening. It was truly magical evening – the menu is
posted below should you be so inclined!
It can, actually must, be done in advance and
scaled up or down to feed a small dinner party or a large group gathering. It could
also work as an entrée. Escabeche (es-kah-BECH-ay) is a classic Spanish
preparation in which you sear meat or fish, marinate it in a vinegary
sauce loaded with spices, then serve it cold or at room temperature. I have
given it a bit of an Asian twist with the addition of wasabi to counter the
sweet papaya-mango relish. Crunch is provided by the use of either a deep fried
wonton wrapper or your favorite tortilla chip.
There is nothing quite like fresh fish. And
when it’s fresh, the simplest preparation will often suffice. Yellowfin tuna,
also known as ahi, demonstrates this principle perfectly. With just the barest
cooking time, the flavor of a fresh piece of ahi is sublime. Its ubiquity and
popularity in sushi restaurants is a testament to how good ahi can taste served
rare. In other words, less is more.
This recipe is for an escabeche of chili
crusted seared ahi tuna. You must use
fresh sashimi quality tuna. No exceptions. The fish is given a generous coating
of spices before being cooked. And when I say cooked, I do not really mean cooked. You really just want to sear the
ahi, leaving the middle quite rare. What you get is a wonderful contrast of
textures, with the buttery smooth interior juxtaposed with the crusted exterior.
Then it is steeped in a marinade for 24-48 hours before serving – escabeche –
referring to a dish that has marinated in an acidic mixture before serving –
usually a vinegar or citrus juice.
Marinade
- 2 red onions, peeled and diced
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 10 jalapenos, seeded
- ½ C ancho chili powder
- 6 Tb ground cumin
- 2 Tb minced garlic
- 6 C fish or chicken stock
- 1 C white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt & Pepper to taste
Ahi Tuna Seasoning
- 2 Tb ancho chili powder
- 6 Tb kosher salt
- 3 Tb black pepper
- ¼ C olive oil
- 2½ - 3 lbs sashimi grade ahi tuna
Papaya-Mango Relish
- 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into ¼” dice
- 2 papayas, peeled, seeds removed and cut into ¼” dice
- 4 jalapenos, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼” dice
- 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼” dice
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped. If you have time, even better if sliced and grilled before chopping
- 1 large bunch of cilantro chopped
- 6 Tb lime juice
- Kosher
salt and pepper to taste
Wonton
wrappers, or Corn
tortilla chips
Wasabi
paste for garnish
To make the marinade:
Puree the first six ingredients in a food
processor: red onions, cilantro jalapenos, ancho chili powder, ground cumin and
garlic with some quick pulses. You will want it finely chopped. Pour all into a
saucepan, add stock and vinegar and bring to a boil. Then, simmer gently for 10
minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat and cool in
refrigerator.
What the marinade looks like when done |
To prepare Ahi Tuna:
Cut tuna into 2-3 equal pieces. Mix ancho chili
powder, salt, black pepper together. Add in olive oil and mix thoroughly. Rub
all over each piece of tuna. Preheat a cast iron skillet until water splashed
in pan spatters. Sear tuna on all sides over high heat about 30-45 seconds per
side. Set aside and let cool.
Seasoning rubbed on the Ahi |
To make Papaya-Mango Relish:
To make the relish, the first step is to roast the peppers. A previous blog post goes into detail on how to do this:
http://cookingwithlarue.blogspot.com/2013/04/roasted-red-pepper-eggplant-soup.html
Then, stir together all ingredients for the relish:
mangoes, papayas, jalapenos, red peppers, red onion, cilantro, limejuice, salt
and pepper. Let stand a minimum of 30 minutes before serving and up to 4 hours.
http://cookingwithlarue.blogspot.com/2013/04/roasted-red-pepper-eggplant-soup.html
Roasted peppers |
Mango |
And the final product |
To fry Wonton Wrappers:
Using a sturdy deep pan, heat canola oil to
about 350 degree F (or until a drop of water sizzles vigorously). Cut wontons
in half diagonally with a serrated knife. Using a toothpick, poke three - four small
holes into each half. Drop the halves,
one at a time, into the hot oil – just takes seconds before it browns, turn it
over and then remove to drain on paper towels. Continue in similar fashion
until all selected wrappers have been fried.
To assemble:
Remove tuna from marinade, reserving the
liquid. Thinly slice the ahi against the grain at about a 25-degree angle into
¼” thick pieces with a sharp slicing knife. Do not saw at the fish with the
knife. Instead, put pressure on the fish and drag your knife in one long
stroke. Set them aside.
I like to arrange all the component pieces onto
a large serving tray. If assembled in advance, the fried wonton or tortilla
chip becomes soggy. It may require that you prepare and serve your guests a few
at first until they get the hang of it and can do their own.
To serve:
Place a small seared piece of ahi on wonton or chip. Put a bit of the marinade
on top. Next add a small bit of papaya-mango relish and dribble a bit of wasabi
on top or nearby on the serving plate.
Various stages of completion. Note how little of the Ahi is cooked....just the edges. |
If by some miracle there is any left, the fish
will stay in good shape for a week or more, so long as the vinegar marinade
sauce covers it.
I hope you will give this a try. The first time
may seem a bit daunting but it actually is quite easy and forgiving. It is key
to use only the freshest of fish – remember, no exceptions.
The only wine to serve with this is Champagne!
Buen Apetito!
Larue
Menu from the First Cooking with Larue Dinner:
The Cooking with Larue dinner with the soup duo served |
All recipes are on the Blog and can be found by
using the Search function
Escabeche of Ahi Tuna with Papaya-Mango Relish
Parmesan Thyme Crackers
Soup Duo: Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup &
Roasted Tomato Soup with Serrano Cream
Spinach, Lentil and Feta Salad with Sour Cherry
Vinaigrette
Corn & Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing
Duck Breasts with Honey & Balsamic
Lamb Meat Loaf with Red Wine Glaze
Orzo with Grilled Zucchini & Sun-dried
Tomatoes
Ottolenghi’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
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