Who among us enjoys using a 400\u00b0F oven during the summer? That would be: Nobody. Ever. For me, summer is synonymous with barbecuing, which is first cousin to steak, hamburgers, chicken and grilled veggies.<\/p>\n
Recently introduced to tuna steaks, I\u2019ve now gone over to the light side. On a recent trip to Victoria, good friends had us over for dinner and served one of the best meals we\u2019ve eaten in years. While most of the component parts were healthy, some were deliciously questionable, in terms of caloric heft (see lemon mousse below). The star of the meal, by a long shot, however, was the marinated tuna steak, grilled on the barbecue. Even though it was more well done than I prefer, it was still juicy, incredibly flavourful and tender. I like my tuna steak with grill marks on the outside and pink rareness on the inside. Most good fish restaurants serve it like that. Despite the variance in preferences, our friend cooked it to perfection. As with all good things, I like to share my enjoyment with others. So, you\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n
You can buy frozen tuna steaks at lots of stores. Fresh is even better, but not always available. For your culinary edification, did you know that Pacific bluefin tuna are approximately five feet long and weigh about 130 pounds? (Think: that\u2019s bigger than me!) Apparently, the world record for the largest bluefin tuna caught was set in Nova Scotia in 1979. It weighed in at a whopping 1,496 pounds. How do you even land something like that? It\u2019s like the Tuna That Ate New York. The tuna we had was cut into petite steaks of about five inches by three inches, and was one-inch-thick perfection.<\/p>\n
MARINATED TUNA STEAKS 4 4-ounce tuna steaks In a large non-reactive dish (does this mean it\u2019s even-tempered?), mix together the orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, oregano and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn it over to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Bring to room temperature before grilling\/frying. Preheat grill at high heat, or pan sear on high in a frying pan.<\/p>\n Lightly oil grill grate or frying pan. Cook the tuna steaks for approximately five minutes, then turn and baste with the marinade. Cook for an additional five minutes, or to desired doneness. I\u2019ve read recipes that call for as little as a 45-second-per-side cooking time, so, use your own discretion. Discard any remaining marinade.<\/p>\n Serve it up with a side of guacamango salad (see below), and you\u2019re sure to get a thank you note. Add some tri-coloured baby new potatoes and, voila, just like that, your guests\/partner\/pets will think you\u2019re Julia Child!<\/p>\n Despite all evidence to the contrary, I can<\/em> cook and not <\/em>give people E. coli. I have been known to give my husband and I food poisoning from bad lamb. In my defence, it was a full moon and I was unsupervised. I\u2019ve also been known to accidentally coat snapper in icing sugar instead of flour. Because Harvey and I were in our \u201ccourting\u201d phase, he ate it nonetheless. I went out for takeout sushi. This is one of Harvey\u2019s favourite stories. Mostly, I just cook stuff that it\u2019s humanly impossible to screw up. Or, I let Harvey cook and, since he thinks that cooking is like doing a chemistry experiment, I say, knock yourself out Science Guy.<\/p>\n Never heard of my newly created gaucamango salad? Feast your tastebuds.<\/p>\n SHELLEY\u2019S GUACAMANGO SALAD<\/strong><\/p>\n 2 large, ripe Ataulfo mangoes, diced Mix all the ingredients together and tell me this isn\u2019t the freshest-tasting summer salad you\u2019ve ever eaten. Just try me.<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve told you before, this accidental balabusta puts a premium on fast, easy meals, especially during the summer months. And, preferably, recipes that call for fewer than six ingredients, including spices. However, I made an exception for the lemon mousse, which breaches my boundaries for both patience and level of patchkerey. But, man, is it worth it! I usually never try recipes that involve separating eggs, because, well \u2026 it\u2019s just dicey. Add in the double boiler element and we\u2019re moving precariously into Ina Garten territory. But my friend\u2019s rendition of this was just so darn good, I couldn\u2019t not try it. If you\u2019re a lemon lover, you won\u2019t be disappointed. If you\u2019re a sourpuss, you also won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n LEMON MOUSSE DESSERT<\/strong><\/p>\n 2 lemons Wash the lemons. Zest the peel of one lemon and set it aside. Squeeze the juice of both lemons and set it aside.<\/p>\n Separate the eggs. Whisk sugar into the egg yolks.<\/p>\n In a double boiler, heat the egg yolk\/sugar mixture and whisk continuously until very hot (but not boiling). If you\u2019re like me and don\u2019t own a double boiler, just set a bowl on top of a pot of hot water instead.<\/p>\n Slowly whisk in the gelatin powder, then add the lemon juice and zest. Put mixture into the fridge to cool, whisking occasionally.<\/p>\n Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm. Beat the whipping cream.<\/p>\n Once egg yolk\/lemon mixture is cooled, gently mix in the egg whites and whipping cream until just combined. Pour into a glass serving bowl for a pretty presentation. Chill in the fridge for a few hours and then garnish with raspberries on top.<\/p>\n This dessert is both fluffy and light, despite all the whipping cream. And the lemon zest gives the richness a welcome bit of texture and zhuzh. This lemon mousse is a spectacular, tart addition to any meal, plus it looks \u00fcber impressive. Go ahead, boldly go where no accidental balabusta has gone before. Until now. B\u2019tayavon!<\/p>\n Shelley Civkin<\/strong>, aka the Accidental Balabusta, is a happily retired librarian and communications officer. For 17 years, she wrote a weekly book review column for the <\/em>Richmond Review. She\u2019s currently a freelance writer and volunteer.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Who among us enjoys using a 400\u00b0F oven during the summer? That would be: Nobody. Ever. For me, summer is synonymous with barbecuing, which is first cousin to steak, hamburgers, chicken and grilled veggies. Recently introduced to tuna steaks, I\u2019ve now gone over to the light side. On a recent trip to Victoria, good friends […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[8729,3797,3584,21641,8302,3456,21638],"class_list":["post-39131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-accidental-balabusta","tag-baking","tag-cooking","tag-lemon-mousse","tag-lifestyle","tag-recipes","tag-tunafish"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>(serves 4)<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>1\/4 cup orange juice
\n<\/strong>1\/4 cup soy sauce
\n<\/strong>2 tbsp olive oil
\n<\/strong>1 tbsp lemon juice
\n<\/strong>2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
\n<\/strong>1 clove garlic, minced
\n<\/strong>1\/2 tsp chopped fresh oregano
\n<\/strong>1\/2 tsp ground black pepper
\n<\/strong>salt to taste<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>2 large, ripe avocados, diced
\n<\/strong>lime juice, to taste
\n<\/strong>olive oil
\n<\/strong>fresh mint, chopped roughly
\n<\/strong>blueberries (optional)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>1 pouch gelatin powder
\n<\/strong>4 eggs (separated)
\n<\/strong>60 grams (or 4 3\/4 tbsp) sugar
\n<\/strong>1 pinch of salt
\n<\/strong>250 grams (or 1 cup) whipping cream<\/strong><\/p>\n