Seared Tuna with Garlic Sauce

Name: Seared Tuna with Garlic Sauce
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 x 120g sashimi-grade tuna log; Sesame oil, for rolling; Coriander leaves, for garnishing; 1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce; 1 teaspoon water; ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; ½ teaspoon Sichuan chilli oil, more or less to taste

The sauce that chef Cheong Liew serves with thin slices of poached pork is equally delicious in this dish of seared tuna with garlic sauce. As the tuna is quite rare, almost raw, it’s important to use sashimi-grade; ask for a log of sashimi-grade tuna that’s already been trimmed of any sinew or membrane, the technical term is ‘saku-cut’ as saku means ‘block’ in Japanese. If you’d like it even rarer, sear it with a kitchen torch to just colour the outside rather than in a frying pan. A glass of Peter Drayton’s Anomaly, an unusual pinot noir-shiraz blend, matches this meaty tuna dish beautifully.

Serves 2 as a starter

Ingredients

1 x 120g sashimi-grade tuna log (4¼oz)
Sesame oil, for rolling
Pinch salt flakes, crushed
Coriander leaves, for garnishing

Garlic Sauce

1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce (20ml)
1 teaspoon water (5ml)
½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar (2.5ml)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon Sichuan chilli oil, more or less to taste (2.5ml)

Method

Remove tuna from the fridge 30–60 minutes before cooking.
Trim off any membrane and set tuna aside to allow it to come to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make Garlic Sauce: place all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine well.
Preheat a non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron frying pan until very hot.
Roll tuna in oil to coat well then sprinkle with salt.
Place in the pan and cook for 30 seconds or so on every side.
Remove from pan and set aside for about 5 minutes.
Slice tuna thinly and arrange on a plate.
Drizzle with some Garlic Sauce, garnish with coriander and serve with remaining sauce on the side.