RAW TUNA WITH GEORGE PANAYES, PETIT NAVIRE

Raw Tuna, Confit Tomato Harissa Sauce, Fresh Fig & Fig Leaf Oil

Serves 2

Ingredients

160g fillet of Bluefin Tuna
2 x Black Figs
1 Egg
60g Salt
60g Sugar
30g Smoked Paprika
2kg San Marzano Tomatoes
60g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30g Harissa (I make my own but you can buy one from any good grocery store)
300g Fig Leaves
450g Sunflower Oil
1 Sweet Potato
Tagete Leaves
Pea Shoots
1 Lime

Method

Cured Egg Yolk:

1. Begin your prep two days ahead to cure the egg yolk. Combine the salt, paprika and sugar. In a small container, lay down half the salt mix and place the separated egg yolk on it, covering it with the other half of the salt mix. Check it after a day, it should be hard enough to grate (but it may take longer). When it’s ready, clean it under water, tap dry and store in the fridge.

Confit Tomato Purée:

1. Peel the tomatoes by scoring each with a small ‘X’ on the bottom. Drop the tomatoes (no more than a dozen at a time) into a large pot of boiling water. Boil for about 30 seconds, or until the skins start to peel back. Remove the tomatoes and drop them into an ice bath. Peel, cut in half, remove the seeds and slice the tomatoes thinly.

2. In a casserole dish, splash some olive oil and add the tomatoes. Cook on the lowest temperature until you have a thick paste. You’re looking to remove all the water: it will take three to five hours. When it’s ready add the harissa, 60g olive oil, the zest and juice of one lime. Season with fleur de sel and white pepper. Blend until you have a smooth cream.

Sweet Potato Crisps:

1. Using a mandolin, slice the potatoes (maximum 2,5mm), then julienne the slices into strips about 1cm wide. Par-boil the thin crisps by adding them to cold water and bringing to the boil. When you see the first bubbles in the water, remove the crips and drop them into an ice bath. Once cold, remove and pat dry. Deep fry at 140°C until crispy, season and store in an airtight container until you are ready to use.

Fig Leaf Oil:

1. Remove the stems of the fig leaves. Prepare a pot of water and add 10% of the total weight of water in salt. Bring to the boil then add the fig leaves and cook for five minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add straight to iced water. Once cold, remove and squeeze out all of the water, making sure the leaves are as dry as possible. Roughly chop, then add to a powerful blender.

2. In a pan, heat the sunflower oil to 85°C, pour into the blender with the fig leaves and blitz on maximum speed. Pass the oil through a fine sieve and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use.

To plate:

1. Slice a 2cm steak from the tuna, dress it with fig leaf oil, season with salt.

2. Using a ring mold, dollop two spoons of the confit tomato sauce in the middle of the plate.

3. On top, layer two slices of fresh black fig.

4. Remove the ring mold and layer the thin tuna steak on top of the fig.

5. Using a microplane, liberally grate the cured egg yolk on top.

6. Arrange the sweet potato crisps in a neat pile on top.

7. Finally, garnish with pea shoots and tagete leaves.