I love Bluefin Tuna. Tuna is a constant staple of every chefs arsennal in one form or another. It seems it has came a long way from the "Chicken of Sea"( which is Albacore Tuna in a can). However, Albacore is only one variety; there is Blue Fin, Yellow Fin and Big Eye Tuna. If I had it my way, Bluefin would be on my menu all the time. The fat content and flavor are unlike any other tuna I have tasted. Guests are very comfortable with almost any preparation of different tuna's and expect it on the menu. If tuna is on the menu, it always in the top 3 items sold on a menu. Today, I simply prepared it two ways: Seared and Raw. I always enjoy the contrast of hot and cold textures. Second, I consistently have small amounts of trim left over from portioning out the fish. Instead of making it into an amuse, I made it into a tar-tar. The mixture consisted of lemon emulsion, chive, shallot and radish. The block was seasoned with espelette pepper, lemon salt and simply seared. The tuna was served with fork crushed peas and a ponzu sauce thickened with xanthum gum.
This dish is perfect for warm spring day. JM
