Today I purchased lovely tuna steak for dinner. Tuna isn't a usual on my grocery list. It's not that I don't like it, it's that my locale doesn't exactly lend itself to great tuna. But the gods of excellent food storage and flight travel do bless, and I was able to obtain a beautiful, non-fishy smelling, perfect coloured tuna steak.
Having secured the lovely tuna steak, the only dilemma I had in hand was to determine preparation options. A relatively easy option, as Mexican flavour was beckoning, and I knew Bobby Flay could deliver.
In his Mesa Grill cookbook, there are two tuna recipes. Of course I opted for the one that I had the ingredients for (at least nearly). The thing about Bobby's recipes in this book is the ingredient lists are long, and therefore the recipes look daunting. Look again, as it's simply his signature blend of simple flavours (usually) that are assembled using pretty much usual ingredients.
First I prepared his apricot glaze. My biggest variation here was the lack of apricots. But certainly the apricots were for sweetened flavour and colour, so a mix of peach and mango preserves seemed sufficient . Although my idea was appropriate, because I wasn't using dried fruit, I had to extend the reduction phase almost triple the time to achieve appropriate consistency in the sauce.
Whilst my glaze reduced, I prepared the rub for the tuna steak. All straight forward - ingredient permitting and with the aid of a trust spice grinder (formerly a coffee grinder). Having made several BF rubs I would depict this one as typical. That's not a slight, but he definitely has a unique flair. As well, I often find myself thinking I'm not crazy about what I'm adding, but I've learned to trust the process - Bobby will deliver.
In the end I finished my glaze as prescribed (red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, mint)and seared the tuna (I'd do it a smidge less next time). I also put together accompaniments - guacamole salad and refried black beans (not your usual, but a prepared option directly from Mexico - thanks Jimena).
Mmmmm.
