Grilled Tuna and Panzanella
Excerpted from The Young Man and the Sea: Recipes & Crispy Fish Tales from Esca by David Pasternack and Ed Levine (Artisan, a Division of Workman Publishing, 2007). Copyright 2007 by David Pasternack and Ed Levine.
Serves 4
Panzanella is the classic Tuscan salad of day-old bread and tomatoes that, when made properly, ends up wet and vinegary yet still crunchy. The best one I've ever had was in Porto Ercules, a cute little fishing village. For this dish I use local heirloom tomatoes that I either grow myself in my little garden or buy from my main tomato guy, Tim Starks. You don't have to use heirloom tomatoes, but for this dish I would definitely use vine-ripened tomatoes. Cardboardy, tasteless out-of-season tomatoes that have been picked green, gassed to turn red, and then trucked hundreds or thousands of miles will have a seriously deleterious effect on this dish. But feel free to substitute swordfish for the tuna.
1 loaf rustic peasant bread, crusts removed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup Chianti vinegar
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 large heirloom or vine-ripened beefsteak tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
6 plum tomatoes, cut into spears
1 large or 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small red onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup capers (preferably salt-packed)
1/4 cup pitted Gaeta olives
1/4 cup basil leaves (preferably opal basil)
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
Four 8-ounce tuna steaks, about 1 3/4 inches thick
1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. Cut the bread into large (1 1/2 to 2 inch) cubes; you should have at least twenty-four croutons. Place the cubes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven until the bread is dry and crunchy, about 30 minutes. (These can be made a day ahead and kept in a paper bag.)
3. Combine the Chianti vinegar with 2/3 cup olive oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
4. Roast the peppers over an open flame; this can be done directly on the stove top over a burner or over a charcoal fire. Turn the peppers so that the skin blackens and blisters all the way around. Put the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (the heat will help steam off the skin). When they are cool enough to handle, use your fingers to peel away the charred skin. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds, and then dice. Set aside.
5. Place all the cut-up tomatoes in a colander over a bowl for about an hour to drain off some of their liquid. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the diced peppers, cucumber, red onion, capers, olives, basil, and parsley.
6. Start a charcoal fire, heating the grill over it so that it's very hot.
7. Rub the tuna steaks on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When the coals are white-hot, place the fish over the medium-high part of the fire (where you can hold your hand above the coals for, say, 4 seconds). If the flames jump to touch the fish, move them to a cooler part of the grill. Grill the fish for 5 to 6 minutes per side. When finished, the fish should feel like the fleshy part of your palm. Transfer the cooked fish to a serving plate.
8. Add the tomatoes and the croutons to the salad ingredients. Whisk the reserved oil and vinegar and dress the salad, tossing gently but thoroughly. Serve the salad on a platter rather than in a bowl (the weight of the tomatoes can be crushing).
Excerpted from The Young Man and the Sea: Recipes & Crispy Fish Tales from Esca by David Pasternack and Ed Levine (Artisan, a Division of Workman Publishing, 2007). Copyright 2007 by David Pasternack and Ed Levine.
Serves 4
Panzanella is the classic Tuscan salad of day-old bread and tomatoes that, when made properly, ends up wet and vinegary yet still crunchy. The best one I've ever had was in Porto Ercules, a cute little fishing village. For this dish I use local heirloom tomatoes that I either grow myself in my little garden or buy from my main tomato guy, Tim Starks. You don't have to use heirloom tomatoes, but for this dish I would definitely use vine-ripened tomatoes. Cardboardy, tasteless out-of-season tomatoes that have been picked green, gassed to turn red, and then trucked hundreds or thousands of miles will have a seriously deleterious effect on this dish. But feel free to substitute swordfish for the tuna.
1 loaf rustic peasant bread, crusts removed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup Chianti vinegar
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 large heirloom or vine-ripened beefsteak tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
6 plum tomatoes, cut into spears
1 large or 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small red onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup capers (preferably salt-packed)
1/4 cup pitted Gaeta olives
1/4 cup basil leaves (preferably opal basil)
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
Four 8-ounce tuna steaks, about 1 3/4 inches thick
1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. Cut the bread into large (1 1/2 to 2 inch) cubes; you should have at least twenty-four croutons. Place the cubes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven until the bread is dry and crunchy, about 30 minutes. (These can be made a day ahead and kept in a paper bag.)
3. Combine the Chianti vinegar with 2/3 cup olive oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
4. Roast the peppers over an open flame; this can be done directly on the stove top over a burner or over a charcoal fire. Turn the peppers so that the skin blackens and blisters all the way around. Put the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (the heat will help steam off the skin). When they are cool enough to handle, use your fingers to peel away the charred skin. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds, and then dice. Set aside.
5. Place all the cut-up tomatoes in a colander over a bowl for about an hour to drain off some of their liquid. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the diced peppers, cucumber, red onion, capers, olives, basil, and parsley.
6. Start a charcoal fire, heating the grill over it so that it's very hot.
7. Rub the tuna steaks on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. When the coals are white-hot, place the fish over the medium-high part of the fire (where you can hold your hand above the coals for, say, 4 seconds). If the flames jump to touch the fish, move them to a cooler part of the grill. Grill the fish for 5 to 6 minutes per side. When finished, the fish should feel like the fleshy part of your palm. Transfer the cooked fish to a serving plate.
8. Add the tomatoes and the croutons to the salad ingredients. Whisk the reserved oil and vinegar and dress the salad, tossing gently but thoroughly. Serve the salad on a platter rather than in a bowl (the weight of the tomatoes can be crushing).