This week, Keith Shearer, Group Executive Chef at Macdonald Hotels & Resorts offers up a delicious fresh dish to our recipe column. From their Steak Houses to their Surf & Turf restaurants, there is an enticing selection to choose from. This recipe is perfect for a summer BBQ or healthy starter to delight your guests!
Rare Seared Tuna Nicoise (4 portions)
Ingredients:
- 400 grams Tuna Loin (must be super fresh)
- 1 Baby gem (leaves separated)
- 160 grams Cherry Vine Tomatoes (washed and room temperature)
- 80 grams Cucumber (cut in balls with a Parisienne scoop)
- 80 grams Red onions (roasted whole and separated into petals)
- 160 grams New potatoes (Cooked peeled and sliced)
- 80 grams French beans (topped & tailed & cooked)
- 160 grams Red Pepper (cooked & peeled & deseeded)
- 80 grams Olive tapenade
- 40 grams Mini Lilliput capers
- 80 Mls Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ea Eggs (boiled for 5 mins, refreshed, peeled and topped & tailed
- ½ ea Lemon (juiced)
Method:
• Boil the potatoes, add teaspoon of salt. Once tender, refresh in cold water and peel. Place in a bowl and cover with vinaigrette. The potatoes will absorb the vinaigrette and have more depth of flavour.
• Boil the French beans in salted water, cook until tender, but still have bite to them. Refresh in ice cold water. Drain well and set aside until needed.
• Grill or place the red peppers over an open flame, a gas ring or blow torch is perfect. Scorch the skins until black all over, then place in a bowl with lid. This will steam the peppers and make removing the skins easier. Once cool enough to handle, remove the core, seeds and skins. Cut the red peppers into neat petals.
• Trim the tuna into neat equal size shapes (it can be any shape you like). Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear the tuna in a very hot pan for 60 seconds on each side. Remove and cut into 4 equal sized portions.
• Time to assemble all the ingredient, start with smear of olive tapenade on the base of the plate, then add baby gem, the French beans, cherry vine tomatoes, cooked new potatoes, cucumber balls, red onion petals, soft boiled egg, red pepper petals & mini Lilliput capers.
• Add a final sprinkle of Maldon sea salt and garnish with pea shot tendrils or basil would also be suitable.
Where do Macdonald Hotels & Resorts get their fish from?
Macdonald Hotels & Resorts are supplied their tuna from George Campbell & Sons who are based in Perthshire. At George Campbell and Sons they are passionate about fish; their buyers, production team and sales team have a wealth of experience in the fish trade, which makes them ideally suited to give their customers information on seasonality and sustainability.
They are committed to supporting a responsible and efficient fishing industry that balances consumer demand with the conservation of fish stocks for future generations.
About Keith Shearer
Keith Shearer spent 17 years as group executive chef with Malmaison and Hotel du ViN, and then joined Macdonald Hotels & Resorts in the same role.
He is involved in devising new food concepts, menu creation and training across the group, which owns and manages 42 hotels in the UK. Restaurants throughout the company hold a total of 45-AA-rosettes. They range from the casual steak concept, the Scottish Steak Club, Surf & Turf restaurants and many more.
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