Roasted/Baked Fresh Albacore Tuna with Mustard Sauce

December 30, 2012

20121230-094559.jpg I received an e-mail the other day from a reader asking what some of our favorite meals are when we are out on the island. I had one planned that very evening, so I thought I would share it with you. The grocery store on Vashon is one of my favorite of all-time, filled with just the right things when you need them, filled with incredibly friendly, helpful people. They have a stellar seafood section, and fresh tuna is something that is often stocked.

20121230-095138.jpg It was looking particularly good the other day, so I bought one piece that was close to a pound. I like to cut it half way through the cooking process to check the doneness. In the heading I wrote roasted/baked, as it is cooked at a high heat, but is cooked in an enclosed container. After a fairly extensive Google search around, there are lots of folks with the same question. So I decided to call it both, as it seemed like I was doing a bit of both.

20121230-095626.jpg The mustard sauce is a marinade, that also becomes the sauce. If you have time to make it ahead, great. Fine if not too. In a bowl add 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, a teaspoon of sesame oil, a tablespoon of soy sauce, a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, along with a few healthy pinches of salt & pepper. Mix around. Lay some on the bottom of a baking dish. Put the tuna on top of that. Then put the rest of the mustard sauce on top of the tuna. Roast/bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. As I said earlier, I buy a big piece and cut it half way through the cooking process, but that is my odd trick. I like the tuna to cook all the way through, many people like it quite raw. However you like it is up to your taste. Once done, spoon the hot mustard sauce from the baking dish over the tuna.

20121230-100826.jpg I always serve this with the same thing. Jasmine rice with fresh cracked pepper, sautéed crimini mushrooms in butter, a simple cut up cucumber with a splash of rice wine vinegar. For this meal, I also served it with an arugula salad with a shallot vinaigrette. All simple ingredients prepared simply. One of our favorite WestWard meals.

A restful Sunday to you all…