04/05/2003 00:00
TW
0

We all know that the term “fast food”, really means “fat food”. No one in their right minds can think that chicken nuggets and french fries cooked in boiling fat could possibly be good for you. Don't get me wrong, like most people, every now and then I'm more than happy to eat a McDonalds or Burger King but if you're looking for fast food that's also on the healthy side, simply cooked fresh fish has to be the answer and the quickest, most versatile and easy to prepare fish has to be fresh tuna. From a chef's point–of–view, it's an incredibly adaptable fish that lends itself to an array of different cooking styles and flavours. When exceptionally fresh it is perfect served raw sashimi style or finely chopped with some capers, parsley and lemon juice for a tuna tartar. If you can't handle raw fish you can poach it gently in olive oil and serve it with stewed peppers, salad leaves and a garlicky ali–oli. It is the perfect fish for grilling or barbecues. If you brush it beforehand with olive oil and coat it lightly with finely crushed peppercorns and fresh herbs it's unbeatable served with new potatoes and rocket leaves. Beware of over–cooking fresh tuna, as it tends to dry out, so be brave and serve it still pink in the middle. Both the blue fin and yellow fin tuna are found in the Mediterranean. They are migratory, are always on the move and have enormous appetites. Their speed, size and stamina makes them formidable hunters and they feed on schools of small fish like sardines, herrings and shrimps. This in turn gives them their big flavour. Some blue fin tunas can grow to a weight of 2000 pounds or more. Here are a few simple tuna recipes to get you started. The tuna nicoise and the peppered ballontine both appear on my “Simply Fosh” bistro menu and are always extremely popular. Both are well worth the effort but if you don't want to spend any time at all in the kitchen, light the barbecue and chuck on some tuna steaks. Just remember not to overcook them!

GRILLED TUNA WITH SALAD NIÇOISE (serves 4)
4 pieces of middle cut fresh tuna (200g each)
30g black olives
100g fresh French beans, trimmed and blanched
8 salted anchovy fillets
4 ripe plum tomatoes
4 quail eggs, boiled for 2 minutes and peeled
1tspn: capers
8 new potatoes, boiled and cut in half
50ml olive oil
Cut the tomatoes into 8 wedges and place them in a large bowl, add the French beans, new potatoes, black olives, capers and anchovies. Drizzle with the olive oil and gently mix all the ingredients together, season with freshly ground black pepper. Carefully, place 4 neat piles of salad in the middle of the plates. Heat a little olive oil in a frying or griddle pan. Season the tuna fillets and pan fry or grill the fish for 2–3 minutes on each side. The tuna should still be pink in the middle. Place the tuna fillets on top of the salads, cut the quail eggs in half and place them on top of the tuna and garnish with a few rocket and chervil leaves.

PEPPERED TUNA BALLONTINE WITH FRESH HERBS, MELON “SALSA” AND CURRY OIL
(Serves 6)
Tuna ballontine:
500g trimmed tuna fillet
30g freshly ground black pepper tspn ground star anise
4tbsn. freshly chopped herbs (parsley, coriander, chervil)
1tbspn. Dijon mustard
Heat a thick–bottomed frying pan over a high flame and sear the tuna fillet on each side until the heat has penetrated 4mm all round. Remove from the heat. Using a pastry brush, brush the tuna with the Dijon mustard. Mix the spices and herbs, then roll the tuna over them to cover and coat evenly on all sides. Wrap tightly in cling–film to form a cylinder and place in the refrigerator for at least 2–3 hours.

Melon “salsa”:
1 Small melon (finely diced)
2 Tomatoes (deseeded and diced)
2tbsp. Chopped coriander
1 Chopped small green chilli (optional)
100ml Olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Seasoning
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Curry oil:
250ml Olive oil
100ml Vegetable oil
1tbsn. Curry powder
1tspn. Ground turmeric
4 Crushed cardamom pods
1 Star anise
6 Fennel seeds
Seasoning
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, set over a very low flame and warm slightly, DO NOT BOIL. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for at least 2 hours. Pass through a fine sieve and season to taste.

To serve:
Slice the tuna into thick steaks and place in the middle of the serving plate. Spoon over the melon salsa and sit a little green salad on top. Dress with the curry oil and serve.