Blue as in blue fish. From the big bluefin tuna (atún rojo) to tiny contemporary anchovies (boquerones, bocartes) and together with a scrumptious array in between—swordfish (pez espada), albacore (bonito del norte), frigate mackerel (melva), skipjack (listado), bonito, mackerel (caballa), horse mackerel (jurel), trout (trucha), amberjack (pez limón), and sardines (sardinas)—their finest season is summer season. (Salmon is also a blue fish, however I’ve deliberately omitted it from the record as a result of it’s represented in Spanish markets solely by farmed fish from Norway.)
Not all blue fish are blue. Though many are deep blue to silvery-blue, some resembling pink mullet (salmonete) will not be. Blue fish are fatty fish whereas white fish, resembling cod, are lean. Blue fish are particularly wealthy in omega 3, the fatty acid that’s recognized to be protecting of coronary heart well being. They’ve deeply forked tails in distinction to lean fish with rounded tails.
In Spain, the almadraba tuna fishing season is simply ending. The almadraba is a really historical means of fishing tuna. The Phoenicians, who colonized southern Spain greater than 3000 years in the past, devised a system of capturing the tuna as they migrated from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The almadraba nets, forming lengthy chambers, like a collection of corrals, are anchored to the underside. Tuna swimming by means of on their migration to spawn within the Mediterranean are trapped within the nets. Fishermen in boats pull the nets right into a tightening circle, till the massive fish are trapped within the center. The lads gaff them and haul them on board. It’s a tremendous sight.
The next recipe for grilled tuna with a pink wine sauce could be made with any number of tuna. The fish, lower in steaks or cubes, might be grilled medium-rare, particularly apt for bluefin, or slow-cooked proper within the sauce.
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| Tuna steak is grilled on a plancha, grill pan, served with pink wine sauce and potatoes. |
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| Pink wine sauce with diced greens enhances the meaty tuna steaks. |
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| Too uncommon for you? Grill the tuna a bit of longer for medium. |
Grilled Tuna with Pink Wine Sauce
Atún a la Plancha con Salsa de Vino Tinto
Moroccan preserved lemons add a briny accent to the sauce. If not out there, substitute a spoonful of capers. The tuna might be grilled on a plancha, a heavy grill pan, or, in full summer season mode, on a gasoline or charcoal grill.
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| Thick-cut tuna steaks are finest. |
Serves 4.
3 tablespoons olive oil + extra to sear the tuna
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup diced carrots
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup diced mushrooms
½ cup diced zucchini
1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes
½ cup pink wine
Salt and freshly floor black pepper
Chopped preserved lemon (optionally available)
Chopped parsley to garnish
Pine nuts, toasted, to garnish (optionally available)
4 tuna steaks, every 6-8 ounces
Warmth the oil in a skillet on medium and sauté the onions and carrots till onions are softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini and proceed frying 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, flip up the warmth and prepare dinner till tomatoes are diminished barely. Add the wine and salt and pepper to style. Cook dinner the greens till the carrots are tender and liquid diminished, 10 minutes. Stir within the lemon, if utilizing.
Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Evenly oil a grill-pan (plancha) or heavy skillet and place on excessive warmth. Grill the tuna steaks to desired diploma of doneness (1 minute per facet for medium uncommon). Serve the tuna accompanied by the wine sauce. Garnish with parsley and pine nuts.
Get it on with summer season blues:
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