INTERVIEW: SARAH HAMILTON-WALKER
SESAME CRUSTED TUNA WITH PONZU SAUCE
“Yuzuis a smallcitrusfruit.Its tart,
fragrantjuiceprovidestheacidityin
theponzusauce.It’snotalways
easyto findgoodyuzujuiceoutside
Japan,butit canbecreatedwith
lemonandlimejuiceinstead.
Toastedsesameoilis notgoodfor
fryingasit hasa lowsmokepoint,
buttheflavourenhancesthesesame
seedsso I liketo brusha littleonto
thetunaafterit’sbeencooked.The
dressingcanbesavedin a jarin the
fridgeandusedonsalads, fish or
thinlyslicedsteak.”
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tbspsesameseeds,preferably
a mixof blackandwhite - 2 sustainablycaughttunasteaks,
around 300g/11oz each and
approximately3cm/1¼inthick
- Salt
- 2 tbspgroundnutoil
- 2 tbsptoastedsesameoil
Fortheponzusauce - 3 tbspsoyor tamarisauce
- 1 tbspriceor whitewinevinegar
- 1 tbspmirin
- 2 tbspyuzujuiceor 1 tbsplemon
juiceand1 tbsplimejuice
1 .First,makeuptheponzusauce
bycombiningtheingredients
togetherina bowl.Setaside.
2 .Scatterthesesameseedsona
plate.Seasonthetunasteaksall
overwithsalt,thenlaythemon
the sesameseedsandcoatthem
onallsides.
3. Heat the groundnut oil in a
fryingpan– it shouldgetto
the pointwhena sesameseed
sizzlesinthepan.Searthetuna
steaksfor1 minuteoneachside
forveryrareand2 minuteson
eachsideforcookedonthe
outsideandrareinthemiddle.
If yoursteaksareonlyabout
2cm/¾inthick,cookthemforjust
30-60secondsoneachside.Use
tongstoliftandholdthesteaks
uprighttoseartheedgesbriefly.
4 .Removethetunafromthepan,
brushwitha littletoastedsesame
oil,thencutintoslicesand
transfertowarmservingplates.
Splashthetunawiththeponzu
sauceandservewithriceand
steamedmangetoutorthearame,
carrot and broccoli salad.
Serves 2 Preparation time10-15 minutes Cooking time 5 minutes
ITALIAN
ROOTS
LaCucinaCaldesiis
KatieandGiancarlo
Caldesi’sLondon
cookeryschool,which
whichtheyrun
alongsideCaldesiin
Campagna– their
restaurantin Bray–
andCaldesiin
Marylebone,whichis
nextto LaCucina.
Formoreinformation,
andto seethecouple’s
rangeof cookbooks,
visit caldesi.com.
FOOD
‘Thedressing
canbesavedin
a jarin thefridge
andusedonsalads,
fishorthinly
sliced steak’
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