68 Days of Gourmet: Day 59 (final stretch!!!)
These Chile Crusted Tuna Tacos felt like a great choice for a warm spring night. They were a light and refreshing dinner paired with sangria and Black Bean and Quinoa Salad. Tuna is one of our favorite fish choices and I was eager to try it in fish tacos instead of our usual Asian preparations (like this and this).
Although the recipe required preparation of several different elements, it still felt relatively simple to prepare. I was able to take my time with each of the steps and enjoy dicing, simmering and sautéing. The end result was a tasty twist on fish tacos – sweet, spicy, crunchy. Yum!
I was disappointed that I was not able to use the jicama that the recipe called for. It was mushy and moldy at the store. 😦 I ended up making a game-time decision to sub purple cabbage for some crunch. It worked but next time I would definitely do the jicama.
If you’re a fish taco lover or looking for a warm weather spin on tacos, these are a great option!
One Year Ago: Tropical Carrot Cake
Chile Crusted Tuna Tacos
(Recipe source Gourmet, August 2003)
Ingredients:
FOR THE SAUCE
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotles in adobo (including sauce)
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
FOR THE TUNA
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 lb (1 1/2-inch-thick) sushi-grade tuna steak
2 tablespoons olive oil
TO FINISH
4 (9- to 10-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup matchstick (1/8-inch-thick) pieces of jicama (from 1 small jicama, peeled) (I subbed shredded cabbage)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (omitted – Brandon will not eat cilantro!!!)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 firm-ripe California avocado
1 cup loosely packed arugula, coarse stems discarded
Bring orange juice, chipotles and vinegar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a generous 1/3 cup, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Toss jicama with cilantro, lime juice, remaining tablespoon oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
While sauce cools, prepare charcoal or gas grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high.
Alternatively, you can sear tuna in a skillet over medium-high heat if you need to cook indoors.
While grill heats, stir together coriander, cumin, chili powder, black pepper and kosher salt in a shallow bowl. Brush tuna on all sides with olive oil and coat evenly with spice mixture.
Grill tuna on lightly oiled rack, uncovered, turning once, until seared on outside but still rare in center, about 2-3 minutes per side. Let tuna stand 10 minutes.
While tuna stands, heat tortillas on grill, turning over once, until warm, about 1 minute, and keep warm, wrapped in foil. Halve, pit and peel avocado and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Alternatively, sear tuna in pan for 2-3 minutes per side over medium heat and heat tortillas in microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Put a tortilla on each of 4 plates. Divide arugula, jicama mixture and avocado among tortillas, arranging evenly down center of each. Slice tuna 1/4 inch thick and divide among tacos. Drizzle orange chipotle sauce evenly over tuna and serve.
Yield: 4 servings
bakin' and eggs 