Tuna Confit

The herbed oil mixture can be used to flavor salads after you have cooked the fish, or kept refrigerated for a week for reuse. Use the tuna confit in this Mediterranean Grain Bowl or Tunisian Market Sandwich! Find the video, recipe, and printable recipe PDF below! 

 
Tuna-Confit-Pan-2.jpg
 

Yield:  4 portions

Method

  1. Salt the fish liberally. Set aside and let sit 6 hours to overnight.

  2. For the Seasoned Oil: Place all the other ingredients into a 2-quart saucepan (approximately) and bring to the barest simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the oil.  You do NOT want to brown the garlic or onions. 

  3. Rinse the fish and pat dry. Gently poach the salted fish in the oil.  Watch the fish carefully; it can still be barely pink in the center. 

  4. Set the cooked fish aside, cool the oil, and once cooled, pour the oil over the fish to store. You may strain out the vegetables and herbs or leave them in.  The fish will keep under oil in the refrigerator for several days, but the texture will never be quite as good as if you can manage to eat it without chilling it.

Source: Catherine Brandel

Ingredients

1 lb. Tuna steak, belly strip or trimmings, skin removed

2 - 4   tsp. Salt

 

Seasoned Oil

4 ea. Basil stems, bruised

4 ea. Thyme sprigs, bruised

4 ea. Bay leaves, crushed

4 ea. Garlic cloves, cut in 4 lengthwise

1 ea. Lemon zest

1/2 tsp. Black peppercorns                                 

1 ea. Serrano chili, split lengthwise (optional)

3 – 3 ½ cups Olive oil, mild

This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.