These are the steps to take to make Seared Blue Fin Tuna with tomato and orange blossom confit:
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hrs 20 minutes (for slow cooking tomatoes)
Serves: 6 people
Ingredients
6 tuna noisettes (Ask your fishmonger to make sure the Noisettes are thick and well proportioned and right for slicing)
6 firm tomatoes
2 unwaxed oranges
10ml of orange blossom water
50g sugar
50ml water
20ml groundnut oil
10ml olive oil
Fresh rocket/arugula
Salt and Pepper
Preparation and Cooking
– Preheat the oven to gas mark 1/ 2 (90°).
– Line a baking tray with foil and lightly grease with some olive oil.
– Cut the tomatoes in half and place onto the baking tray.
– Drizzle some olive oil over them, add some salt and pepper and slow cook them for 3 hours in the middle of the oven. Check them regularly to ensure they aren’t burning.
– Wash the oranges and make fine strands of peel with a zester from both the oranges.
– Put the sugar in a pan and add 50ml of water stir until dissolved.
– Bring the syrup to a boil add the peel and cook until the peel crystallizes.
– Remove from the heat and allow the peel to cool in the syrup.
– Press the juice of the oranges and sieve the juice to remove any pith or pips.
– Add the orange blossom water.
– At the end of the cooking time for the tomatoes, cover with foil and leave them in the oven to keep warm and turn the oven off.
– Heat the groundnut oil in a frying pan or skillet.
– When the oil is hot sear the tuna 1-2 minutes max on each side and season with some salt and pepper. Do not overcook the tuna. The tuna needs to be seared on the outside and rare/marrowy texture on the inside.
– Remove the pieces of tuna and cover them with foil to keep them warm.
– Pour the orange juice/orange blossom water mixture, the syrup with the peel into the frying pan.
– Bring to the boil and reduce whilst continuously stirring with a wooden spatula. This will take a few minutes to reduce.
– Slice the tuna noisettes into thick slices.
– Arrange tuna slices and tomatoes on serving plates, drizzle with the orange sauce, garnish with rocket/arugula and serve immediately.
