Seafood Recipe: Bluefin Tuna Toro with Caramelised Apple, Cauliflower, and Black Truffle
The cold water seems to bring out the best in seafood as the fish are generally in better condition.
Winter also coincides with the southern bluefin tuna run up the east coast of Australia. Once a severely mismanaged fishery on the brink of destruction, it’s very heartening to see it making a real comeback in the past decade or so and, as a chef, it’s a great thing to see.
Bluefin tuna is rightfully seen among chefs as the king of the tuna species, prized mostly because of the fat marbling, particularly in the belly of larger specimens. In Japan the ‘toro’, as it’s known, can command rather ridiculous prices, but for good reason.
When it’s in season, I always like to have it on hand in the restaurant. We buy whole sides of large bluefin tuna and use the loin for a couple of tuna dishes on the menu, and save the best part, the toro, for specials. Simply treated, it is outstanding.
This dish came together quite quickly one morning recently, where I had a large piece of toro and no idea what to do with it. I had a vague idea of wanting to utilise fresh Australian truffles, which were just coming into season, and I also had a caramelised apple purée and some cauliflower on hand. The combination made sense, so I pickled the cauliflower to add the acidity the toro needs to balance its richness. The result was sensational and needed nothing else.
Of course, buying fresh truffles is rather extravagant, and not always on the cards, so they are obviously optional. A good truffle oil would make for a reasonable substitute.
Once all the elements are prepared, it’s a very quick dish for a dinner party – provided you’ve put in the hard work and caught the bluefin in the days prior!
Ingredients and Method
Serves: 4
Pickled cauliflower:
- 1 head cauliflower, picked and broken into very small florets.
- 300ml water
- 200ml rice vinegar
- 100g caster sugar
- 5g salt
Cooking Method
- Bring the sugar, water and vinegar to the boil and pour over the cauliflower.
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature then store in the fridge indefinitely.
Caramelised apple purée:
This will make more than you need, but the remainder is a terrific accompaniment to roast pork.
- 500g Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored, cut into large pieces. (Do not put in water or use lemon juice)
- 100g caster sugar
- 50g unsalted butter
- 30ml sherry vinegar
Cooking Method
- Place a medium saucepan over medium high heat and allow to heat.
- Gradually sprinkle the sugar in little by little, allowing it to form a deeply browned caramel.
- When it starts to smoke a little, add the apples and a good pinch of salt and stir to coat in the caramel.
- Allow to cook for a few minutes, when they start to release their juices into the caramel, add the sherry vinegar and allow to cook out for about two minutes.
- Transfer to a blender and blend with the cold butter until smooth.
- Season to taste and allow to cool to room temperature.
Tuna:
- 400g fatty bluefin tuna belly, sliced
- 10g fresh black truffle, thinly shaved into slices
- 1 wedge lemon
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil
- Flake salt and black pepper, as needed
- Picked baby herbs, for garnish
Cooking Method
This next step is entirely optional but does give a nice smokiness to the dish.
- Lay each portion of the sliced tuna on a lightly oiled baking tray, and then quickly colour the slices with a blowtorch, ensuring that they stay largely raw, yet charred on the outside.
- Place a spoonful of the apple purée on a plate, then lay the tuna slices on top.
- Scatter the cauliflower pieces on top, and lay the sliced truffle over, using the cauliflower pieces to stand them up a little.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil and squeeze a little bit of lemon over the top.
- Scatter the herbs and season with a little flake salt and cracked pepper.
Enjoy!