Tuna in Spiced Tomato gravy

Ok no excuses this time! It has been almost a month since my last post. I have been whipping up several exotic creations, some failed and crashed. Although I had mentioned in my last post on G'Gina's Kitchenette's Facebook page of a sweet surprise, that did not happen as it was one of the ones that crashed and burned. The specialist who was to fix my grill and oven has been avoiding the visit due to heavy rains we have been experiencing here. I promise to come back to the sweet delights soon enough!

This one is a Spanish inspiration. With the monsoons coming in, one of my dear readers had suggested some wholesome warm recipe creations. If you love fish, this would definitely be up your alley. If not you can substitute with chicken or eggplant or even whole boiled eggs. Of course the cooking time would be reduced accordingly.

You need:

• 1 kg tuna, preferably skinned, filleted and cut into medium size pieces
• 4-5 medium sized tomatoes,skinned and de-seeded
• 1 large red onion, cut into 4 quarters
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, skinned and crushed
• 2 tbsp red paprika powder
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey (optional)
• 1 red capsicum (habanero ), deseeded and diced
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander (Cilantro) leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, picked and chopped
• 4 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 cup drinking water

The Make:

Cooking Time: 40 minutes | Preparation Time : 10 minutes | Serves 6-7

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet/foil and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer baking sheet to the oven. Cook until the tomatoes are slightly charred, turning occasionally in 20 minutes.

2. Bring it to room temperature and then transfer all the ingredients from the baking sheet/foil to a blender along with the paprika powder, habanero, cilantro, white wine vinegar, honey (optional) and mint. Blend until smooth. Season with salt taking care not to add too much as the tomatoes have already has been seasoned.

3. Next drizzle some of the remaining oil in a claypot or non-stick deep bottomed pot. Rub some salt and pepper on the tuna pieces and lightly saute giving 2 minutes on each side adding the remaining oil as required. Pour in the blended mix to the tuna pieces and cook for no more than 15-20 minutes. Add water as required and bring to boil.

Serve hot with Spanish rice or any other rice of your choice, pasta or flatbread of your choice.

King Grill Steak with Herby-Buttery Pesto

I was inspired to make this dish since our recent visit to Italy. It is a simple but delicious meal for two. My husband (the Taste Master) was impressed with my twist on the traditional pesto (which is normally made of basil, pine nuts and extra olive oil  ground to a creamy texture with hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino added). We had this 'on the rocks' with beer and made for a delicious and wholesome meal. It goes well with a side of salad, lemon wedges or even toasted bread rolls or garlic bread.

The cast:

• King Fish fillets - 2 (wt. about 225 gms each or 8 oz each) - cleaned and patted dry
• Pesto sauce
• Ground Black Peppercorn - 2 tbsp
• 6 garlic cloves - crushed in a mortar and pestle or with the back of your kitchen knife
• 2 tsp olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp parsley leaves (chopped)
• 100 gms salted or unsalted butter at room temperature
• Salt to taste (take care if you are using salted butter)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

The play:

Cooking Time: 15 minutes, Preparation Time: 20 minutes


1.Take the pesto sauce and mix well in a grinder with the butter. Roll the prepared herby-butter in a cling film (this can be refrigerated for at least 3-4 days in advance). I placed mine in a plastic air tight container to avoid spillage in case of power-cuts which happens often here in India (esp. in summers). Defrost before use.

Pesto Sauce

2. Marinate the fish fillet with lemon juice and ground pepper and crushed garlic(you can also insert the garlic pods in the eye of the fish fillet which is the bone at the center) with salt to taste.

King fish steak marinated and bagged

3. Heat the oven or grill to a high and lower heat. You can place an iron skillet to the oven with a dash of olive oil with the marinated fish fillet and cook on both sides for at least 2-3 minutes. If you are using a grill, lightly dab the marinated fish with the olive oil on both sides and allow to cook at least 2-3 minutes on each side. Make sure when you are taking out the fish on the skillet to use oven mitts or a thick cloth as the skillet handle would be hot!

Layering the marinated king fish in grill pan

3. Add the chopped parsley leaves.Once cooled, transfer the fish contents along with the juices in the skillet(or the juices collected on the tray below the grill) to a air tight sealed bag and refrigerate. You can do this a day in advance. Thaw at room temperature before use.

4. On a skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil and place the thawed fish fillets along with its juices.

5. Turn to the oven for 2-3 minutes on each side and then add a a slice of the herby-butter (to desired thickness) on top of each fish fillet and return it to the oven until the fish is cooked and butter melted. It should take another 3-4 minutes.

6. Do not overcook or fish will return dry. Your King#1 is ready to eat!

Enjoy...Bon Appetit!

King Grill steak with Herby- Buttery Pesto