Tuna Number Two

With the rest of my tuna, I wanted to try to combine poaching in oil and sous vide. I had poached salmon in butter and olive oil before with reasonable success. The butter version was a little overcooked.

I took the other piece of tuna and trimmed away the area that had been at the top and by the skin. I put a cup of olive oil in a quart zip lock bag along with the tuna. By putting the bag in a bowl of water I was able to remove most of the air and make the bag sink in the cooking water.

This time I cooked using the Anova at 110 degrees – Foodtasmic Tuna Temp - for 20 minutes. I allowed for more time due to having to heat the oil. After cooking, I seared the tuna just as in the first piece – 30 seconds per side for color. Because of the oil this piece took on a little browning.

Tuna was cut into four slices just like the first time but it was served with a sauce made from garlic and basil and seasoned with salt and pepper. A salad of raspberries, strawberries and blackberries splashed with fig balsamic was served alongside.

The tuna was just as good as the first try and a touch more moist. It was rare yet warm. The sauce accented the luscious texture from the oil poaching. The flavors of the sauce and berries made for good company with the tuna.

What did I learn?

First that tuna and sous vide are a perfect marriage. When you add the searing before service technique, you get the same result as cooking that way only without the vagaries of temperature and doneness.

Both versions were tender and cooked perfectly. If they were cooked at a slightly higher temperature, I believe that a similar tenderness would result. Beyond that and you begin to impact flavor and texture.

An important consideration is the quality of ingredients – specifically the tuna. Care has to be taken when serving meat and fish rare. Be very sure of the freshness and grade. Storage is important too. Buy only from a very trusted source.

To me the tuna was a hit – a big one. Foodtasmic has a method to make an integral part the best ways to cook certain things.