Think beautiful, rare tuna. Little new potatoes. Market-fresh green beans. Perfectly cooked eggs. And a yuzu miso vinaigrette to tie it all together. That’s what Japanese tuna niçoise is all about.
Simple. Clean. Fresh. Delicious. And dare I say it? Healthy. This dish would be on my dinner menu if I had a restaurant. And it would be the star of my lunch menu.
And it would sell. Not quite signature dish level. But it would sell. Because it is all about balance. Everything cooked separately. And brought together at service.
And it’s an actual dish. Google grilled tuna. You get a million recipes on how to grill tuna. Maybe some sort of dipping sauce to go with it. But no plates. No integrated dishes. Just fish. And fire.
And then try googling sides for grilled tuna. You get brown rice. Salad. Potatoes. Come on. That’s not a plate. That’s a jumble of random bits on a plate. No inspiration. Just stuff.
Japanese tuna niçoise isn’t even a thing
I made this up. I admit it. This isn’t the latest craze. Not trendy. Can’t order it anywhere.
It isn’t even really niçoise. No black olives. No anchovies. Or tomatoes. If I lived in France they would probably deport me for this. For messing with a national treasure.
This one is just tasty. It isn’t the usual slam your tastebuds into submission glebekitchen style. But it works. It works well.
I love a good salad niçoise. Don’t get me wrong. It is one of the truly great salads. Japanese tuna niçoise is inspired by the real deal. It is a testament to it’s greatness. At least that will be my argument at my deportation trial…
Yuzu miso vinaigrette is a bit of magic
Pretty hard to miss the yuzu thing that’s going on these days. So apologies for boring you with this. If you know yuzu skip this section…
Yuzu is a really ugly, incredibly floral citrus fruit. And it’s not easy to find. In fact it’s really hard to find. But you can get yuzu juice. At Japanese and Asian grocers.
Used to be I’d have to beg people to bring it back from Japan for me. Or get it when I was there. Not the fruit though. Just the little bottles of yuzu juice.
“Anything to declare?”
“Just some yuzu juice.”
“Come with me, sir.”
“Again????”
Bit of a pain but it was worth it. Much easier now.
It’s kind of halfway between a grapefruit, a lemon, a lime and an orange. If you can be halfway between four things. I know. That doesn’t make any sense.
But it’s the best I can come up with. Yuzu tastes like yuzu. What does a banana taste like? See my problem?
It’s getting trendy. There’s even a national brand of yuzu ice cream in Canada these days. It’s on menus. Yuzu cheesecake. Yuzu hot sauce. It’s around. Although you may have to hunt for it a bit.
Meyer lemons are a reasonable substitute if you can get them. They are similar. Sort of.
You can try lemon for this recipe. Or a mix of lemon and grapefruit or lemon and orange. Not quite the same but pretty tasty.
Rare tuna – please…
Tuna is an interesting fish. Cooked rare it is amazing. A wonderful thing. A thing I just love.
But cooked through? Terrible. Fishy tasting. Tough. Dry. Just not good.
I’d rather eat my boot. And my boot is probably about the same price as a good quality piece of tuna. So please don’t waste it.
If you must have it cooked through just use cheap, bulk frozen supermarket tuna. Six pieces of tuna for around $15. The cheap stuff. I can’t imagine you’ll be able to tell the difference once it’s well done.
That was harsh. I know. Probably alienated a bunch of people. “I’m not making your recipe. You’re a knob.”
And that’s probably fair. But what isn’t fair is destroying a perfectly good piece of fish. So I probably won’t cry myself to sleep tonight.
Seared tuna makes Japanese tuna niçoise
Seared tuna isn’t hard. And it’s my second favourite way to eat tuna. My favourite? Sashimi. Hands down. No contest. So good.
Second place. Seared tuna. Bit of a distant second, mind you. I love raw fish. Sashimi even. You can keep the rice. I just want the fish. But my wife isn’t such a big fan. So seared it is.
It’s the best of both worlds though. You still get the flavour. Plus you get that seared flavour mixing in. Really tasty. Just not as good as raw. Did I mention raw is my favourite?
Not hard to do either. High heat. Short time. Flip. Shorter time. Done.
You can do it on your BBQ. If you can get it hot enough. Or you can use a frying pan. That works too.
The key is not to overcook it. Err on the side of underdone. Watch the edge of the fish. The side closest to the heat. When the colour change is about 1/8 of an inch up the side it’s time to flip.
Same thing on the other side. It is a leap of faith. But it works.
Perfect hard-boiled eggs every time
There is an easy way to make perfect hard-boiled eggs. Not just for Japanese tuna niçoise. For egg salad. Devilled eggs. Cobb salad. Whatever you want.
And I’ve never found a better way. It’s foolproof. Works perfectly for graded large eggs. Yolks nicely set. No nasty ring. Tender.
Pick a saucepan that allows at least an inch of water above the level of the eggs. Put the eggs in the pot. Add enough water to cover the eggs by – you guessed it – an inch.
Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Turn the heat off. Cover. Move the pan off the element. Wait ten minutes.
Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop additional cooking. Peel. Perfect hard-boiled eggs. Every time.
Niçoise salad re-imagined
This is not a traditional niçoise salad. Not even close. And it’s not really Japanese either. But I made this up. So I can call it whatever I want.
I’m calling it Japanese tuna niçoise. But I could call it grilled tuna with yuzu miso vinaigrette. Or grilled tuna with beans and potatoes.
Doesn’t really matter what I call it though. It’s just a fun little dish. Not another recipe on how to grill tuna. A dish that uses grilled tuna as an ingredient.
I did this one for me. So I would remember to make it three years from now. For friends.
It’s not a classic. It’s not even really a thing. Except in my head. And my kitchen. And hopefully in yours too.
Japanese tuna nicoise with yuzu miso vinaigrette
Ingredients
Yuzu miso vinaigrette
- 1 1/2 tsp yuzu juice (or lemon juice. See note.)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil – break out the good stuff
- 1 tsp shiro miso white miso
- 1 tsp water
- pinch sugar to taste (depends on how tart your yuzu juice is). You may need more.
- a few grinds of black pepper
Japanese tuna nicoise
- 10 oz tuna steaks two small steaks – each 5 ounces and cut about 1 inch thick
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz small new potatoes
- 6 oz green beans the smallest, freshest ones you can get
- the yuzu miso dressing
- a little fleur de sel to spinkle if you have it
- white sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
Make your vinaigrette
- Don’t use a metal bowl to make your vinaigrette. I don’t know why it doesn’t ever work but it doesn’t. I can never get the dressing to emulsify in metal.
- Add the yuzu juice and dijon mustard. Mix with a teaspoon until combined.
- Drizzle the olive oil in slowly, stirring constantly and vigourously with the spoon. You want an emulsification. It should happen. Just take your time.
- Add the shiro miso. Smush it under the spoon. Chase it around. You want to get it to dissolve into the emulsion.
- It will be pretty thick at this point. Add about a teaspoon of cool water and stir.
- Stir in a pinch of sugar. Taste. It will likely be a little tart. That’s OK. If it’s really tart add a little more sugar.
- A couple of grinds of black pepper and you are good to go.
Cook the potatoes
- Do this after you make your vinaigrette. The potatoes will cook while you do everything else.
- Put the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover them with salted water.
- Bring to a lively simmer and cover.
- Let cook until they are fork tender. I can’t tell you how long this takes because I don’t know how big your potatoes are.
- Start checking them after about 15 minutes. When they are fork tender drain and set aside. They go into the salad warm.
Perfect hardboiled eggs
- While the potatoes cook place the eggs in a small saucepan. Cover the eggs with one inch of cool water. You want the water one inch higher than the eggs.
- Bring the water to a boil (uncovered) over medium high heat.
- As soon as it boils, cover the sauce pan and move off the heat. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- At the 8 minute mark grab a fairly large bowl. Fill with cold water and toss in a some ice cubes.
- At the 10 minute mark remove the eggs from the hot water and submerge them in the ice bath. If the ice melts and starts to disappear add more. Swirl the water. You want to stop the eggs continuing to cook.
- Peel and refrigerate. You can do this ahead of time of course.
Blanch the beans
- Take that sauce pan you used to cook the eggs. It should still have the hot water in it. Toss in a big pinch of salt.
- Add the beans. Cook for around 3 or 4 minutes. You want them barely tender.
- Once they are to your liking use tongs or a big slotted spoon transfer the beans to the bowl you used for the eggs. Add a bit more ice. Again, you want to stop the cooking process. Drain when cool and set aside.
Prep the salad
- You will want everything ready to go when you grill the tuna. The goal will be to drop the cooked fish on the salad, garnish and serve.
- Toss the beans and the potatoes with the vinaigrette.
- Slice the egg – around 3/16 of an inch thick. Push the slices back together in an egg shape to keep the yolks from drying out.
- Plate the salad. Beans and potatoes first. Egg to one side. Have your plates lined up on the counter for when you get back from the grill.
Cook the tuna
- Rub the tuna with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Prepare your grill. I like charcoal for this. You want it hot. Think under one Mississippi. Your hand cannot stay over the heat for even one second.
- Make sure your grates are clean. Wipe them with a bit of oil. Sticking tuna is not going to be any fun at all. You do get two tries though – only one side faces up.
- Place the tuna directly over the heat. Watch the lower edge. You want that change of colour to be about 1/8 of an inch up the side. Maybe a bit more but barely. Flip the fish. Again around 1/8 of an inch up the side. That’s it. Fish is done. Seared on the outside and hopefully just barely warm on the inside. This can go fast. As little as 90 seconds to 2 minutes on the first side. Probably less on the second side.
- You can do this in a frying pan as well. Something that holds heat and not non-stick. Dry heat your pan over medium high heat. Make sure the fish is well oiled. Around 90 seconds on the first side. Maybe 60 seconds on the second side. Done.
- Place one piece of fish on each plate. Sprinkle with a bit of fleur de sel if using. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Japanese tuna nicoise with yuzu miso vinaigrette
Ingredients
Yuzu miso vinaigrette
- 1 1/2 tsp yuzu juice (or lemon juice. See note.)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil - break out the good stuff
- 1 tsp shiro miso white miso
- 1 tsp water
- pinch sugar to taste (depends on how tart your yuzu juice is). You may need more.
- a few grinds of black pepper
Japanese tuna nicoise
- 10 oz tuna steaks two small steaks - each 5 ounces and cut about 1 inch thick
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz small new potatoes
- 6 oz green beans the smallest, freshest ones you can get
- the yuzu miso dressing
- a little fleur de sel to spinkle if you have it
- white sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
Make your vinaigrette
- Don’t use a metal bowl to make your vinaigrette. I don’t know why it doesn’t ever work but it doesn’t. I can never get the dressing to emulsify in metal.
- Add the yuzu juice and dijon mustard. Mix with a teaspoon until combined.
- Drizzle the olive oil in slowly, stirring constantly and vigourously with the spoon. You want an emulsification. It should happen. Just take your time.
- Add the shiro miso. Smush it under the spoon. Chase it around. You want to get it to dissolve into the emulsion.
- It will be pretty thick at this point. Add about a teaspoon of cool water and stir.
- Stir in a pinch of sugar. Taste. It will likely be a little tart. That’s OK. If it’s really tart add a little more sugar.
- A couple of grinds of black pepper and you are good to go.
Cook the potatoes
- Do this after you make your vinaigrette. The potatoes will cook while you do everything else.
- Put the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover them with salted water.
- Bring to a lively simmer and cover.
- Let cook until they are fork tender. I can’t tell you how long this takes because I don’t know how big your potatoes are.
- Start checking them after about 15 minutes. When they are fork tender drain and set aside. They go into the salad warm.
Perfect hardboiled eggs
- While the potatoes cook place the eggs in a small saucepan. Cover the eggs with one inch of cool water. You want the water one inch higher than the eggs.
- Bring the water to a boil (uncovered) over medium high heat.
- As soon as it boils, cover the sauce pan and move off the heat. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- At the 8 minute mark grab a fairly large bowl. Fill with cold water and toss in a some ice cubes.
- At the 10 minute mark remove the eggs from the hot water and submerge them in the ice bath. If the ice melts and starts to disappear add more. Swirl the water. You want to stop the eggs continuing to cook.
- Peel and refrigerate. You can do this ahead of time of course.
Blanch the beans
- Take that sauce pan you used to cook the eggs. It should still have the hot water in it. Toss in a big pinch of salt.
- Add the beans. Cook for around 3 or 4 minutes. You want them barely tender.
- Once they are to your liking use tongs or a big slotted spoon transfer the beans to the bowl you used for the eggs. Add a bit more ice. Again, you want to stop the cooking process. Drain when cool and set aside.
Prep the salad
- You will want everything ready to go when you grill the tuna. The goal will be to drop the cooked fish on the salad, garnish and serve.
- Toss the beans and the potatoes with the vinaigrette.
- Slice the egg - around 3/16 of an inch thick. Push the slices back together in an egg shape to keep the yolks from drying out.
- Plate the salad. Beans and potatoes first. Egg to one side. Have your plates lined up on the counter for when you get back from the grill.
Cook the tuna
- Rub the tuna with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Prepare your grill. I like charcoal for this. You want it hot. Think under one Mississippi. Your hand cannot stay over the heat for even one second.
- Make sure your grates are clean. Wipe them with a bit of oil. Sticking tuna is not going to be any fun at all. You do get two tries though - only one side faces up.
- Place the tuna directly over the heat. Watch the lower edge. You want that change of colour to be about 1/8 of an inch up the side. Maybe a bit more but barely. Flip the fish. Again around 1/8 of an inch up the side. That’s it. Fish is done. Seared on the outside and hopefully just barely warm on the inside. This can go fast. As little as 90 seconds to 2 minutes on the first side. Probably less on the second side.
- You can do this in a frying pan as well. Something that holds heat and not non-stick. Dry heat your pan over medium high heat. Make sure the fish is well oiled. Around 90 seconds on the first side. Maybe 60 seconds on the second side. Done.
- Place one piece of fish on each plate. Sprinkle with a bit of fleur de sel if using. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Perfectly cooked prawns. Fresh curry leaves. Green chilies. Coconut milk. Are you feeling it? Prawn curry done South Indian restaurant style.
Prawn curry just like you wish they served you at your local Indian restaurant. But made in your kitchen. By you. For you. And your friends. Seem like a tall order? Read on.
I’ve been asked many times. More seafood please? More fish? This is the start…
South Indian prawn curry
This is the first prawn curry ever on glebekitchen. So I’m pulling out all the stops. Bash you over the head flavours. But balanced as well.
It works. South Indian is all about big flavours. Flavours you should get to know. Because you are going to love it. Lots of coastline in Kerala. Coastal means shellfish. See why I think this works? Match made in India.
There’s something magic about how South Indian flavours come together. A little spicy. A little peppery. The irreplaceable flavour of curry leaves. Green chilies and tomatoes. And coconut milk to bring it all together.
That’s the backbone. The common theme. Not always. But often. Mustard seed, cumin seed, a hint of cinnamon and whole cardamom are the little bit extra here.
Prawns vs shrimps – it really doesn’t matter in this case
Shrimp and prawns are different. Anatomically. And in habitat. But they are really close in flavour. I’ve only had real prawns a couple times. But in the dishes I enjoyed I could not really taste the difference.
I made this recipe with shrimp. The bag said shrimp. In Canada we call them shrimp. I don’t actually think I can actually buy prawns. Not easily anyway. So this is south Indian shrimp curry.
Problem is – the world seems to want to call this prawn curry. So I’m calling this prawn curry.
I have lots of battles I want to fight. Use fresh ingredients. Don’t use store bought garlic ginger paste. Do your prep. Bloom your spices. Use an instant read thermometer.
These are things I care about. Passionately. I want you to hear what I’m saying. So I push hard.
Shrimp vs. prawns. That I care less about. If they look like they do in the pictures you are probably OK. I am pretty sure I’m OK.
Fresh curry leaves are best
If you can get fresh curry leaves do it. Just do it. Seriously. Especially if you’ve never cooked with them before. They are special. There is no substitute.
Dried curry leaves are not a substitute. They aren’t even a fleeting shadow of the flavour fresh brings. Seriously. Might as well throw dust bunnies in your curry. About the same flavour.
Think about fresh coriander leaf. Cilantro. Bright. Fresh. Distinctive. Nothing like it.
Now think about dried coriander leaves. Do they even exist? They shouldn’t. Zero flavour. Dust. Curry leaves are exactly the same. There is just no point.
If you can’t get fresh curry leaves just leave them out. It won’t be what this recipe is about though. Tasty? Absolutely. Amazing? Probably not.
Seems I’m passionate about fresh curry leaves. Add that to the list on the side of my soapbox…
Season your prawns for an extra layer of flavour
I think a lot of people expect they can just chuck a bunch of prawns into the gravy and everything will work out.
They are probably right. Won’t be bad at all. As long as the prawns don’t get overcooked.
But it won’t be as good as it can be either. There’s definitely room for improvement there.
There’s a couple things I like to do. I like to season the prawns. An extra layer of flavour.
Not complicated either. A little turmeric. A little kashmiri chili powder. Boosts the flavour. And it makes them look great.
The other thing I like to do is pre-cook them. That way I know what I’m putting into my prawn curry. I have control. No guessing what’s going on with them in the dish.
How exactly do you tell when they are done if they are covered in a lush, thick and opaque sauce? Unless I bite into one I’m not sure I can.
Shallow fry your prawns
I usually poach shrimp when I want them done perfectly. It’s repeatable. And you can shock them in cold water to stop the cooking.
You can’t beat that for a lot of dishes. And for perfect prawn cocktail. And I love prawn cocktail so I’ve worked pretty hard nailing down my technique.
But for this prawn curry I’m going a different route. Shallow fry. That’s a restaurant trick. Coat the prawns in a bunch of flavour. Fry them. Enjoy.
It’s a little trickier. There’s a hard and fast formula for poaching. Controlled. Consistent results with zero stress. If you can work a timer you can poach shrimp.
Shallow frying is more about feel. Not precision. No formula here. Sorry about that. It’s a bit of a test. Every pan is different. Every stove is different. I cannot tell you exactly how long to cook them.
But you don’t have to full on guess either. There are guidelines here. You want to cook them until they just start to turn pink on the bottom. A hint of opaque up the side. Then flip and repeat. Same story on the other side. You want to slightly undercook them. They will continue cooking as they cool. And they will likely cook a little more when you add them to the final curry.
It’s a life skill. Part of getting your chops down in the kitchen. It’s not trivial. But it’s not impossible either. Have a little faith. You can do it.
Restaurant style – real restaurant technique for real restaurant taste
This is a glebekitchen restaurant style recipe. That’s pretty specific. It means you are cooking the same way they do in restaurants.
You’ll get restaurant results if you pay attention. But you have to do restaurant style prep. No real way around it. I have an easy Indian restaurant series that comes really close if this is too much.
It means making curry base gravy . Not hard. But it has to be done. And it’s best done ahead of time. You can portion it out and freeze it. Once you have this you can make restaurant curries in around 20 minutes, including prep.
You need to make Indian restaurant mix powder . That’s just a fancy way of saying you need to make a spice blend. It’s about as hard as it sounds. Measure out some spices. Mix. Done.
If this is your first time you probably should read this primer on making Indian restaurant curries . It covers everything in detail. There’s also a video on technique.
This style isn’t dead easy. There are a few techniques you need to get down. It’s not impossible either. If you are able to make a meal that doesn’t involve just opening a package you can do this.
It will take a bit of practice at first. But you can do it. I have faith. And so should you. You will be very happy with yourself when you get it down.
Prawn curry. Loaded with south Indian flavours. A lush restaurant style sauce. Perfectly done prawns. Are you feeling it now? I know I am.
South Indian prawn curry
Ingredients
Pre-cook the prawns
- 1/2 lb prawns 16-20 count (that is 16-20 prawns per pound) so 8-10 prawns
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- sprinkle of salt
- enough oil to shallow fry the prawns
- 1 tsp garlic ginger paste
The spice mix
- 2 tsp indian restaurant spice mix – recipe link below
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
The curry ingredients
- 3 Tbsp oil – you can use the oil you fried the shrimp in. That’s seasoned oil now.
- 3 cardamom pods (green)
- 2 inch cinnamon stick cassia bark
- 1/2 tsp mustard seed
- 1/4 tsp cumin seed
- 12-15 curry leaves fresh, not dried. If you can’t get them fresh leave them out.
- 1 Tbsp garlic/ginger paste – recipe link below
- 2 green chilies – cut in half lengthwise and then into 3/4 inch pieces. Seed the chilies to tame the fire a bit.
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste with enough water to dilute to the consistency of pasatta
- 15 oz curry base
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (not coconut cream)
- 2 tbsp tomato diced
- 1 green chili diced
- the prawns from above you are just warming them through in this step
Instructions
Pre-cook the prawns
- Gently toss the prawns with 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili powder. Sprinkle with salt.
- Pick a pan that is just big enough to comfortably hold the prawns in one layer.
- Add the oil and heat over medium low. You want enough to come up the sides of the prawns about 1/4 of the way up. That’s why you want the smallest pan that fits. It will take less oil.
- Add the garlic ginger paste and fry until it stops sizzling.
- Cook the prawns until the bottom turns pink and they just start to go opaque on the sides. This takes somewhere between 30-45 seconds depending on how hot your pan is. Note that the times are for 16-20 prawns. You will need to adjust up or down based on the size of shrimp you use.
- Flip the prawns and cook another 30-45 seconds or so. You don’t want them fully cooked as they will cook a little more as they cool and then in the final curry. As soon as the slit in the back turns opaque you are done.
South Indian prawn curry
- Make the spice mix.
- Dilute the tomato paste with enough water to get to the consistency of passata.
- Heat your frying pan (don’t use non-stick) briefly over medium heat. Add the oil (you can use some of the oil from frying the shrimp). Use all the oil specified. It’s important. You need that oil to bloom the spices. You don’t want them to stick and potentially burn because you skimped on a bit of oil.
- When the oil starts to shimmer add the cardamom and cinnamon stick. You should see little bubbles form around them. Let that go for around 20 seconds.
- Now add the mustard and cumin seed along with the curry leaves. Stir and cook until the seeds start to crackle. This takes another 20 seconds or so.
- Add the garlic ginger paste and large pieces of the two green chilies to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste stops sputtering.
- Turn down the heat and add the spice mix. This is the moment of truth in any curry. Stir it constantly for 30 seconds. If it starts to darken lift the pan off the heat. You want the spice mix to cook in the oil but not burn. If it burns you are starting over. No way around it.
- Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the diluted tomato paste immediately and stir until bubbles form (the oil will likely separate). This takes around 30 seconds to one minute depending on the heat.
- Add 3 oz of curry base. Stir until you see small craters forming, around 30-45 seconds. If it takes much longer that’s a sign that you can turn the meat up a bit more. Watch the edges of the pan. The curry can stick here. That’s not a problem. Just scrape it back into the pan.
- Now add 6 oz of curry base and stir briefly. Let it cook until the craters form again. This takes 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the curry base and let cook until the craters form. Turn the heat down to low. Add the coconut milk and stir.
- Mix in the remaining diced green chili. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add the prawns and cook until they are just warmed through.
- Serve with rice and/or parathas or chapatis.
