Jul
08

Blackened tuna steak with dirty Cajun rice Dinner tonight was partly down to me fancying some Cajun flavours and partly because I wanted to use my new cast-iron grillet pan. Recipe based on Antony Worrall Thompson’s but with some modest modifications. This serves four, more or less (you might want to make a little extra rice). Cajun dirty rice I’m calling this “dirty rice” because the original recipe did, but as it omits the crucial chicken liver and giblets it isn’t, really. First, make the spice mix. Combine these ingredients in a small bowl: (Update: following more experimentation, I’ve changed this spice mix around. See below for details.) 3/4 tsp white pepper 1 tsp salt 1.5 tsp black pepper 1.25 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp mustard powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp dried oregano Second, prep the vegetables. Finely dice one green pepper, one onion, one stalk of celery, and three cloves of garlic and set aside. Third, wash and devein 180 g (6oz) of uncooked prawns (shrimp). Now it’s time to cook. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a wide heavy-bottom frying pan that you have a lid for. Add a splash of oil to stop the butter burning, then add the prawns and 2 bay leaves. Cook for three minutes over a high heat, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables and the spice mix and stir thoroughly, scraping the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat and cook for eight minutes, (again) stirring occasionally. Add 500 ml (1 US pint) of vegetable stock and stir thoroughly to scrape up anything glued to the bottom. Cook on a very low simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Stir it once or twice to make sure it doesn’t stick. Add 150 g (5.5 oz) of rice (pre-soaked first if necessary, depending on what sort of rice you are using). Stir thoroughly, then place the lid on the pan — if it’s not tight-fitting wrap it in foil. Set the heat to the lowest you can and leave for about fifteen minutes while you do the tuna. The exact timing can be tricky here and you might need to adjust based on the sizes of your pan and your hob/burner. You’re aiming to catch it just as the last of the water as it’s absorbed into the rice, and the rice should be fluffy without being glutenous. Blackened tuna First, set a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over the absolute highest heat you can manage for at least ten minutes. You need this pan as hot as possible. While it’s heating, make up the spice mix: 1 Tbsp paprika 1 tsp salt 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp cayenne powder 3/4 tsp finely ground black pepper 3/4 tsp finely ground white pepper 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp dried oregano Second. Get your tuna steaks — four of them weighing about 140g / 5 oz each and around an inch thick. Wash them and pat them dry thoroughly with kitchen towel. As an alternative to tuna, any sturdy, meaty fish will do — red snapper is traditional but you can use redfish or gilt head bream. I’ve seen people cook cod this way although I worried it might fall apart. Third, melt about 200g (7 oz) of butter in a small pan or (carefully) in the microwave. Pour most of it into a small shallow tray. One by one, dip the tuna steaks into the butter to thoroughly coat them, then sprinkle the spice mix liberally all over the surface of the meat and gently rub the mix in with your fingertips. Once you’ve done all the steaks, place them into the pan (carefully, so as to not burn your fingers!) and pour a teaspoonful of the remaining melted butter over the top surface (again, carefully — it might flare up). Give them two minutes, flip them over and pour another spoonful of butter over the top. Another two minutes and they’re done. Enough, eat already! Updated spice mix for the rice The mix above was just too peppery for Danielle to enjoy, and truth be told although I liked it, I found it a bit overwhelming too. Following several attempts, I’m currently working on the following mix (for 150 g / 5.5 oz of rice): 1/4 tsp white pepper 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp thyme 1 tsp paprika I use Marigold brand swiss vegetable powder, which is rather less salty than some premade stock. The salt level will need tweaking based on the stock you use.

Blackened tuna steak with dirty Cajun rice

Dinner tonight was partly down to me fancying some Cajun flavours and partly because I wanted to use my new cast-iron grillet pan. Recipe based on Antony Worrall Thompson’s but with some modest modifications. This serves four, more or less (you might want to make a little extra rice).

Cajun dirty rice

I’m calling this “dirty rice” because the original recipe did, but as it omits the crucial chicken liver and giblets it isn’t, really.

First, make the spice mix. Combine these ingredients in a small bowl: (Update: following more experimentation, I’ve changed this spice mix around. See below for details.)

  • 3/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp black pepper
  • 1.25 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Second, prep the vegetables. Finely dice one green pepper, one onion, one stalk of celery, and three cloves of garlic and set aside.

Third, wash and devein 180 g (6oz) of uncooked prawns (shrimp).

Now it’s time to cook. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a wide heavy-bottom frying pan that you have a lid for. Add a splash of oil to stop the butter burning, then add the prawns and 2 bay leaves. Cook for three minutes over a high heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the vegetables and the spice mix and stir thoroughly, scraping the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat and cook for eight minutes, (again) stirring occasionally.

Add 500 ml (1 US pint) of vegetable stock and stir thoroughly to scrape up anything glued to the bottom. Cook on a very low simmer for another 8-10 minutes. Stir it once or twice to make sure it doesn’t stick.

Add 150 g (5.5 oz) of rice (pre-soaked first if necessary, depending on what sort of rice you are using). Stir thoroughly, then place the lid on the pan — if it’s not tight-fitting wrap it in foil. Set the heat to the lowest you can and leave for about fifteen minutes while you do the tuna. The exact timing can be tricky here and you might need to adjust based on the sizes of your pan and your hob/burner. You’re aiming to catch it just as the last of the water as it’s absorbed into the rice, and the rice should be fluffy without being glutenous.

Blackened tuna

First, set a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over the absolute highest heat you can manage for at least ten minutes. You need this pan as hot as possible. While it’s heating, make up the spice mix:

  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne powder
  • 3/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
  • 3/4 tsp finely ground white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Second. Get your tuna steaks — four of them weighing about 140g / 5 oz each and around an inch thick. Wash them and pat them dry thoroughly with kitchen towel. As an alternative to tuna, any sturdy, meaty fish will do — red snapper is traditional but you can use redfish or gilt head bream. I’ve seen people cook cod this way although I worried it might fall apart.

Third, melt about 200g (7 oz) of butter in a small pan or (carefully) in the microwave. Pour most of it into a small shallow tray. One by one, dip the tuna steaks into the butter to thoroughly coat them, then sprinkle the spice mix liberally all over the surface of the meat and gently rub the mix in with your fingertips.

Once you’ve done all the steaks, place them into the pan (carefully, so as to not burn your fingers!) and pour a teaspoonful of the remaining melted butter over the top surface (again, carefully — it might flare up). Give them two minutes, flip them over and pour another spoonful of butter over the top. Another two minutes and they’re done.

Enough, eat already!

Updated spice mix for the rice

The mix above was just too peppery for Danielle to enjoy, and truth be told although I liked it, I found it a bit overwhelming too. Following several attempts, I’m currently working on the following mix (for 150 g / 5.5 oz of rice):

  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp paprika

I use Marigold brand swiss vegetable powder, which is rather less salty than some premade stock. The salt level will need tweaking based on the stock you use.

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Notes

  1. objectionsalad posted this