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Recipes
So you caught some tuna, now what do you do with it? Canning tuna is what most people do, especially if you have a lot. Canning it preserves it for a long time and cans are conveniently stored at room temperature. But there are many other ways to enjoy tuna especially when it is fresh. Below are just a few that we have discovered. Give them a try and we are sure you will enjoy them. Just know that Albacore tuna is great raw or lightly seared. Albacore is not very forgiving however so take care not to cook it to death. As our friend Schribner says: "The only way you can screw it up is to over cook it"
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Panko Crusted Albacore (serves 4)
- Cut the 1.5 lbs. of Albacore loins into ¾ inch thick medallions.
- Mix ~3 cups of flour with ¼ cup of garlic powder.
- Pour panko bread crumbs (available at most stores) into 9X12 cake pan
- Scramble 3-4 eggs in a large bowl
- Dredge loin medallions in the flour and garlic powder mix
- Shake off excess flour/garlic and then coat medallions in the scramble eggs
- Place egg covered medallions in panko pan and coat thoroughly with panko. I like to press the panko into the medallions. Don’t worry if it makes them a little thinner by pressing them.
- In a large fry pan over medium high heat add olive oil (~1/4 cup) and a quarter stick of butter.
- Once the oil is hot place the panko coated medallions in the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown.
- I add a little more butter and/or olive oil after turning them.
- Serve and eat immediately.
- Note: This way of cooking is a little more forgiving as it locks in the moisture, but as with all tuna you want to avoid over cooking it. Also, this dish is great with tartare sauce, but we like it with Martin's Swiss Dressing (found at New Seasons)
Grilled Albacore
- Cut the loins into ¾ inch thick medallions
- Place medallions into a gallon ziplock bag
- Pour generous amount of olive oil (~1 cup) into the bag with the medallions
- Zip up the bag and roll the medallions until they are completely coated in oil.
- Place the medallions on a plate or 9X12 cake pan and lightly salt and dust with lemon pepper. We prefer the McCormick’s Garlic Lemon Pepper from Safeway, but any Lemon Pepper will work.
- Cook on Ribbed Stove top grill pan or regular pan at medium high heat. I add a little olive oil to the pan and heat that up. Place the seasoned side of the medallions face down in the pan. While they are cooking, season the top facing side of the medallions.
- Cook for a couple minutes per side. I grab the medallions with a set of thongs and shake it a few inches above the grill. If it breaks in the middle and you can see a nice dark pink strip through the middle of the medallion then it is done, take if off and place it on a plate.
- Serve and eat at immediately!
- One thing you might try… Martin’s Swiss Dressing (New Seasons). A little of that poured on the plate with the grilled fish is dynamite.
- This recipe also works on a BBQ grill but need to take care so the fish does not fall through the grill.
Captain Cool Breeze’s Smoked Albacore
4 tuna loins
Cut the loins into ¾ inch medallions
Brine:
2 Parts Yashida’s Teriyaki (Costco)
1 Part White Wine
1 Part Water
¼ Cup of Garlic Powder
¼ Cup Lemon Pepper
4 tuna loins
Cut the loins into ¾ inch medallions
Brine:
2 Parts Yashida’s Teriyaki (Costco)
1 Part White Wine
1 Part Water
¼ Cup of Garlic Powder
¼ Cup Lemon Pepper
- Brine for 8-12 hours refrigerated
- Remove medallions from brine and rinse lightly
- Place rinsed medallions on smoking grills
- Dust top facing side of the medallions with Lemon Pepper
- Allow to air dry for 1 hour before smoking
- Wood: We use Alder, but fruit wood works well too
- Smoke for 45 minutes to 1 hour. We use a Brinkman Electric Smoker. Your smoker may need more/less time, but remember the adage about not overcooking it.
- Remove from smoker, allow to air cool, and then vacuum bag in serving sized portions.
- We serve this at room temperature with whipped cream cheese and a buttery cracker like Cabaret. A cracker with a smear of whipped cream cheese with a chunk of smoked tuna on top is hard to beat as an appetizer.
Albacore Tuna Sashimi Carpaccio
Note: Ponzu sauce is available at most grocery stores as well as Asian markets. It has a clean bright citrus flavor along with a little salty savory flavor of Soy. Soy can be used as well, but Ponzu is definitely the way to go in my view.
- For this recipe use the raw upper loin of a fish that has been well bleed and chilled. No need to freeze the loin although you certainly can.
- Take the upper loin and slice across the grain of the loin as thinly as possible... ~1/8 inch thick.
- Lay the thin slices flat in single thickness on a plate until the plate is covered in slices.
- Thinly dice jalapeño peppers and sprinkle over the fish slices. (wear rubber gloves while doing this)
- Generously sprinkle Ponzu Sauce (Soy Sauce cut with citrus) over the whole plate.
- With a fork, stick a slice of albacore with some pepper chunks and enjoy!
Note: Ponzu sauce is available at most grocery stores as well as Asian markets. It has a clean bright citrus flavor along with a little salty savory flavor of Soy. Soy can be used as well, but Ponzu is definitely the way to go in my view.