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Seared Tuna with Spicy Pickled Grape Pico over White Gazpacho

This recipe calls for tuna that is coated with sesame seeds and quickly seared on high heat. Green grapes serve as an ingredient in both the spicy pickled grape pico de gallo topping and also in the white gazpacho base.

Ingredients

For the White Gazpacho:

  • 2 oz peeled or Marcona almonds
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs made from stale bread, cut into ½” cubes
  • ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 3 tsp sherry vinegar, or more if desired
  • ½ tsp kosher salt, or more if desired
  • 12 green grapes

For the Spicy Pickled Grape Pico de Gallo:

  • 2 ripe Roma tomatoes
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ fresh jalapeno, finely minced
  • ½ red onion, small dice
  • 12 seedless grapes of choice, sliced into thin slices
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves and stems, finely minced
  • Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

For the Seared Tuna:

  • 2 thick fresh tuna fillets, roughly 8oz each
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup white and black sesame seeds
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 Tbsp almonds, toasted and sliced, as garnish
  • 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
  • 4 seedless grapes, cut into quarters, for garnish

Instructions

  • For the white gazpacho, combine the breadcrumbs and water and allow breadcrumbs to soak in the water for roughly one hour.
  • Combine the water and breadcrumbs in a blender with the almonds, garlic, and green grapes and blend on high speed until fully combined and broken down.
  • Slowly stream in the olive oil with the blender running to emulsify the oil into the mixture.
  • Add sherry vinegar and salt to taste.
  • For the Spicy pickled grape pico de gallo, cut tomatoes in quarters and use a small knife to remove the inner flesh, seeds, and liquid.
  • With the remaining flesh, cut into small dice.
  • Season with salt and place in a bowl to rest for 45 minutes, draining out the liquid that releases from the tomato every 15 minutes.
  • Add lime zest and lime juice into a bowl with the minced fresh jalapeno, red onion, sliced seedless grapes, lime zest, red pepper flakes, and fresh cilantro.
  • Drain the salted tomatoes and add them to the remaining pico ingredients you just mixed together.
  • Taste the pico and adjust for needed lime, salt, or freshly-ground black pepper.
  • Before cooking the tuna, allow the fish to rest at room temperature for roughly 15 minutes.
  • When you are ready to sear the tuna, heat a heavy-bottomed saute pan and add the vegetable oil.
  • Quickly season the tuna with kosher salt all over.
  • Coat the exterior of the tuna fillets with the white and black sesame seeds.
  • Press the sesame seeds into the flesh of the tuna to ensure you have an even coating of sesame seeds.
  • Gently shake off any excess sesame seeds before searing.
  • Sear both sides of the tuna quickly in the hot oil, cooking for about 90 seconds on each side.
  • Quickly sear the edges of the tuna fillets for about 20 seconds on each edge.
  • You are done cooking the tuna when the sesame seeds on both sides are golden brown.
  • The inside of the tuna should still be rare, with a cooked exterior edge.
  • Allow the seared tuna to rest for 2 minutes.
  • Use a sharp knife to slice the tuna against the grain in uniform slices roughly ¼” thick.
  • Add a few spoonfuls of the white gazpacho to the bottom of each serving plate.
  • Arrange the slices of tuna over the white gazpacho.
  • Top the tuna slices with a tablespoon or two of the spicy grape pico de gallo.
  • Garnish with sliced almonds, fresh cilantro, and a few quartered pieces of grape.

Notes

Any leftover tuna can be used the following day in a salad, or warmed up gently and combined with any leftover pico as the base ingredients for some quick and delicious fish tacos!