Archive for » October 27th, 2007«

Tuna Patties/Burgers Japanese style

I have already posted a salmon pattie recipe so I thought I would move on to Tuna. I buy Ahi tuna, which is most commonly used in raw Japanese fish dishes such as sashimi. Ahi refers to two species, bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna. With yellowfin being most common, it has nice red pigmentation to skin, it is more perishable than bigeye and looses its red pigmentation quicker. So when buying look for a good bright red colour for freshness.

Ingredients

olive oil
850g Ahi tuna (see description above)
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
11/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 green onions, chopped
11/2 Teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon Japanese soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoon fresh coriander, Finely chopped
3/4 Cup panko flakes (Japanese breadcrumbs I found these a few years ago and have never gone back to regular breadcrumbs, they give such a lovely crispness to patties. Panko is available in most Asian grocery stores. If you can’t get it regular breadcrumbs are fine.)

For the wasabi mayonnaise

2 Teaspoons wasabi powder
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 Tablespoons mayonnaise

Method

1. Cut tuna into chunks place tuna, mayo, mustard, vinegar and lemon juice into a food processor or blender and pulse until ingredients are just combined. Add onion, soy sauce, ginger and garlic and pulse again to combine.

2. Add coriander and panko (note: save enough flakes to coat the outside of patties for frying.) Mix these ingredients until combined.

3. Shape into patties it will make 8 medium patties (2 per person) or 6 Large burgers if you want to serve them this way in buns. Place patties on tray and put in fridge to chill for 15-20 Min’s.

4. Heat oil in pan (you may need 2) Or you can grill on BBQ. Add patties to pan and cook on each side about 4-5 Min’s. The patties should have a nice golden brown outside and be medium rare inside. If you over cook tuna it becomes very dry.

For the wasabi mayonnaise

1. Mix a little water with the wasabi powder to form a paste add mustard and mayo and mix well place in refrigerator for about 30 Min’s to allow flavours to infuse.

To serve place atop salad greens and serve the wasabi mayonnaise on the side.

All photo’s taken by me unless otherwise stated.

Balsamic-Glazed Scallops

I made this recipe last night as starter. It is another recipe from a recipezaar member. I bought the more expensive St. Jacques scallops which I love. I have to say it was extremely tasty and made for a light starter, but I have made other sauces that I prefer more with scallops. That is absolutely no criticism to the chef it is just my preference.I did take the advice of one of the members that had reviewed this recipe and used orange infused olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. It makes the dish a little more expensive but judging by the flavour It was well worth it.

The ingredients listed below are for 4 main meal servings, as a starter I allowed for 3-4 scallops per person St. Jacques are quite large though. I also used fresh marjoram I just prefer fresh herbs. If you liked this recipe and want to see more photo’s of it or more recipes by this chef click http://www.recipezaar.com/184668.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 lbs sea scallops
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano

1.Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a pieplate; dredge scallops in flour mixture.

2.Saute scallops, in batches, in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Remove scallops from skillet; set aside.

3.Add 1/3 cup vinegar, honey, and marjoram to skillet; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 3 minutes. Add scallops, and cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.

All photo’s taken by me unless otherwise stated.