Albacore for All

By on April 23, 2014

Seared Albacore and Grilled Flatiron Steak

I traded some fresh Albacore with a dear friend of mine for some Green Leaf lettuce, fresh from her garden…. now, what to cook for dinner?  With the list of fresh, local ingredients growing and it being the peak of summer, I wanted to prepare something light and full of flavor.  Here is my twist on the classic Surf-n-Turf:

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Seared Albacore and Grilled Flat Iron Steak lettuce wraps with a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette.

Start by making a simple marinade for the steak and tuna:  Soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, peanut oil, lemon grass, fresh grated ginger, crushed garlic and diced scallions.  Mix all the ingredients together making sure the sugar gets dissolved.  Place the tuna and the steak into separate zip top bags and cover with the marinade.  For best results, let the tuna and the steak marinade overnight in the refrigerator.  Then, remove from the marinade, wipe off any excess marinade and grill to your preference.

To make the vinaigrette, simply combine the juice and zest from 1 lime, 1 finely diced Serrano Chili, a liberal amount of chopped Cilantro, olive oil and muddle.  Be sure to salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble, lay the sliced tuna on one piece of lettuce and the steak on another.  Add grated carrots, Enoki mushrooms then dress with the vinaigrette…. Be sure to garnish with chopped peanuts and sliced scallions.

Albacore Sliders

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The only thing limiting you here is your imagination.  I like to use Hawaiian Sweet Rolls for the buns, they’re perfect for this finger food.  I rubbed the tuna with sesame seed oil, seasoned with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  I then grilled them over high heat for 30 seconds per side, nothing is worse to me than overcooked tuna.  The only thing left is to add a layer of Chinese Hot Mustard, top with seaweed salad and serve with Terra Root Chips.

Blackened Albacore with Wasabi mashed potatoes

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Blackened Albacore: Marinade the albacore in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, fresh grated ginger and lemon grass for 2 hours.  Remove from the marinade, dry off with a paper and rub with your favorite blackening spice.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook on each side for 60 seconds.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes: Boil Yukon Gold potatoes with 4 cloves of garlic.  Once fork tender, drain the water and return the potatoes to the pot to dry off.  Add butter, sour cream and as much wasabi as you are comfortable with then smash until you achieve the desired texture.  Season with Kosher salt and white pepper.

Snap peas and oyster mushrooms: Stir fry over medium-high heat in sesame seed oil and tamari sauce.

Anthony Warren
For years Anthony Warren has been fishing out of Ilwaco for salmon and bottom fish. When the craze for Albacore Tuna fishing hit the sport fishing fleet, Anthony was right there chasing these longfins. You can find him on the team “Bad To The Bone” which fishes the Oregon Tuna Classic charity tournament.

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