This wonderfully presented dish was submitted by CM Harrington. A Seduction Meal indeed, I can't wait to try this!

"They key to this dish is in the timing. Measure and prepare all ingredients and set before you "mis en place" to keep things moving along. There are three parts to assemble--the Dashi broth, the soba noodles and the seared tuna."


































photo: CM Harrington


seared tuna and soba recipe

broth - Dashi, or Japanese Fish Broth
1 cup of water
3 - 4 pieces of Dashi Kombu (kelp) used only for flavor and then removed
1/2 cup Bonito flakes
1 cup of sake

Dashi is a broth and a staple used in many Japanese dishes. To make the broth, mix together the water, kombu and bonito flakes in a medium pot.

Bring broth to a boil over medium heat and cook until the volume is reduced in half; 10 - 15 minutes, remove from heat. Avoid boiling with kelp, and don't let the bonito flakes steep for too long --both could result in bitterness.
Strain the broth through a sieve to remove food parts, discard.
Place liquid back in pot, while still warm, add sake. Keep broth warm over super low heat.
Next prepare the noodles.

soba noodles

1 package of soba noodles
I prefer wild yam or lotus root for the added flavor they impart
cook as directed, be sure not to over cook

tuna

1 lb sushi grade Ahi Tuna (I get mine at Wild Edibles)

Make a Rub by mixing together a pinch or two of Chinese 5 Spice, Chili powder, black pepper, a very little bit of salt. Prepare enough to coat the piece of fish on each side.

Micro-greens/sprouts for taste and garnish


Start by rubbing olive oil over entire tuna and coat all sides of the tuna with the rub.

Place cast iron skillet over high heat--we will sear the tuna. Do not put anything in the skillet; just get it nice and hot.

Turn down the heat to medium and place fish in skillet. Tuna and salmon have built in thermometers in that you can see how the fish is prepared by watching the white cooked fish rise from the heat up. We preferred seared tuna for this dish, but you can cook this to your preference.

Cook fish 1-4 minutes on all sides. When cooked to your liking, remove from skillet and place on cutting board. With a very sharp carving knife cut the fish across the grain in thin slices--the thinner the better.

plating the dish

This works best in a dish that has a little depth (see photo). We used Joseph Abboud bowl and plate.

Place noodles in the center of the dish; go for the sculptural effect you often find in restaurants by placing the noodles in the dish with some height.

Ladle about 1/2 cup of the broth over the noodles. The idea is not to completely cover the noodles in broth so measure the broth based on the serving dish you are using.

Place thinly sliced tuna over the noodles and garnish with micro greens (bean sprouts)