Tuna Tartar With Fennel And Green Olive Tapenade Food

TUNA TAPENADE

Steps:

• Make sure that there are no pits mixed in with your olives.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. When finely chopped and adhering to the sides of the machine, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients except the tuna and puree to a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the tuna. Process until you have a smooth paste. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.

TUNA TAPENADE

Steps:

• Blend all the ingredients, except the tuna, in a food processor until smooth but still chunky. Transfer to a medium serving bowl. Drain the tuna but do not rinse. Flake the tuna with a fork. Add to the olive mixture, blending gently with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with Crostini.
• Crostini:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the baguette, on the bias, into thin slices. In a small bowl, mix the oils and salt and pepper, to taste. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat 1 side of bread slices with the oil. Arrange on a sheet tray and bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Yield: about 24 slices

TUNA TARTAR WITH FENNEL AND GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE

Steps:

• Puree the olives, anchovy and capers in a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice. While the machine is running, add oil and water and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Force through a fine strainer and set aside.
• Dice the tuna in eighth-of-an-inch cubes with a very sharp knife (to keep the knife clean, rub it on a lightly oiled towel every so often). With a spoon, mix the diced tuna with the lemon peel, oil, soy sauce and chives. Add a dash of Tabasco and season to taste with salt and pepper. This can be prepared up to an hour in advance.
• Wash the fennel, pull apart the bulb and dice the pieces. Combine the lemon juice, sherry vinegar, ground coriander seeds, shallots and walnut oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and dress the fennel with this mixture.
• On four individual plates, place a serving of fennel in the middle and top with seasoned tuna. Spoon a little of the tapenade on each plate and on the tuna. Garnish with olives, cracked pepper, chives and fennel sprigs.

TAPENADE

Steps:

• Combine the olives, capers, anchovies and garlic in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse 3 times. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, thyme and parsley and process until chunky.
• Serve on toasts.

TUNA TARTARE

Steps:

• Cut the tuna into 1/4-inch dice and place it in a very large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, wasabi, soy sauce, hot red pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour over the tuna, add the scallions and jalapeno, and mix well. Cut the avocados in half, remove the seed, and peel. Cut the avocados into 1/4-inch dice. Carefully mix the avocado into the tuna mixture. Add the toasted sesame seeds, if using, and season to taste. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend. Serve on crackers.

TUNA TARTARE

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together olive oil, wasabi powder, sesame seeds, and cracked black pepper. Toss tuna into mixture until evenly coated. Adjust seasoning as desired with additional wasabi powder or black pepper. Serve on sliced French bread.

ITALIAN TUNA AND SHAVED FENNEL SANDWICH WITH BLACK OLIVE PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F
• Individually wrap the 4 sections of baguette in aluminum foil and set in the oven to warm, about 10 minutes. Trim the fennel bulb of any fronds or stalks and remove a slice or two from the root end. Using a mandoline, a sharp knife, or a food processor, shave the fennel as thin as possible -the shavings should be nearly transparent. Toss the fennel with the lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and some pepper. Set aside.
• Remove one of the baguette sections from the oven. Spread the bottom half with a tablespoon or so of the olive paste. Lay on top 2 to 4 slices of preserved lemon, if using. Arrange one fourth of the tuna on the sandwich. Dot with some of the harissa, and top with a scattering of the fennel salad. Close the sandwich and wrap up again with foil. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining bread to form 4 sandwiches. Cut each in half through the foil and serve.
• Leftovers: Assembled sandwiches will keep for eight hours or so, but no more. As they sit, the bread gets a little soggy, but that isn't such a bad thing.

TUNA STEAKS WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until leeks are limp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the fennel and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. The mixture should be very soft.
• Meanwhile, season the albacore steaks with salt and pepper and heat the remaining olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Sear the albacore steaks for 30 seconds on each side. Place on top of the fennel. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
• Sprinkle on the parsley and serve, laying the fish on top of the fennel, with lemon wedges on the side.