Skewers – two ways

Photographer: Sara
8 of each skewer

I’ve had fresh tuna twice this month; two rich doses of omega-3s mean a happy brain and heart.  There’s been mixed reviews on tuna in recent years; it’s a tricky debate and if you do chose to consume a simple thing you can do is make sure your tuna is caught via non-destructive fishing methods…just talk to your local fish monger.

It’s a robust fish, resilient to flaking and breaking up, making it just perfect for skewering.  If you’re not using the tuna on the day of purchase, ask your fish monger for a bag of shaved ice to take home with you.  Empty the ice into a container and then store the fish (bagged) on top of the ice until use.

In addition to the tuna skewers I’ve made another variation using the simple combination of feta and watermelon.  The success of both varieties is completely dependent on the freshness of the ingredients.  The ingredients are exposed in all their glory so don’t use anything that’s not of the freshest quality. 

 

Don’t cut your fruit or assemble the skewers until right before serving. 

If pineapple is not available try mango, rockmelon or honeydew melon.

If watermelon is not available try dragonfruit.

INGREDIENTS

Tuna and pineapple skewers
100g fresh tuna steak
Black pepper and sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil


2 tbsp black sesame seeds


2 slices of pineapple (1 cm thick)
1/2 lemon or lime


8 skewers

Watermelon and feta skewers
1 slice of watermelon, 1cm thick
1/2 lemon or lime


100g feta
8 mint leaves


8 skewers

METHOD

Tuna and pineapple skewers
1. If you are working with a tuna steak, slice it into strips, approximately 2cm thick. This is so you get an outer, seared crust and a rare centre to each piece on your skewer.
2.Season strips well with salt and pepper.
3.Add olive oil to a pan on high heat. Once it starts to smoke, sear tuna on all 4 sides (no longer than 1 min per side).
4.Remove tuna, place on a plate to rest.
5.Roll tuna in black sesame seeds then wrap very tightly in cling film and refrigerate.


6.When ready to serve the skewers, unwrap the tuna and slice into 1cm thick pieces.
7.Cut pineapple into pieces the same size. Squeeze lime juice over pineapple.
8.Thread pineapple and tuna on skewers.

Watermelon and feta skewers
1.Cut watermelon into cubes and squeeze over lemon or lime juice.
2.Cut feta into cubes.
3.Thread watermelon, a mint leaf and feta onto skewers.