OK, I’m stuck on chiles again. When you’re from Texas you just can’t help it. Chiles are everywhere. They are in Mexican food that everyone likes. They are in Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean food. They are in Middle Eastern food. They’re in almost everything. And like I have previously warned, I am a chilehead. This dish, however, is not hot. IT IS DELICIOUS!

This dish was inspired by Alan Wong, celebrity chef and author of the Blue Tomato Cookbook. It came about because it’s that time of year when there is an abundance of oranges. Clementine oranges are found everywhere. We also had recently purchased some beautiful tuna steaks from our local fishmonger. We were looking for a way to change up our seared tuna and this is what we devised. It’s savory with a hint of smoke and a little spice from the chipotle and some sweetness from the Clementine. It’s quick, easy and meshes beautifully into one gorgeous meal. We hope you give it a try.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Saikyo (golden) Miso
• 1/4 cup Mirin
• 1/4 cup Dashi (recipe found here)
• 1/4 cup Sake
• 1 large Pickled Chipotle*
• 2 (6 oz) Tuna steaks
• 1 Clementine Orange
• Sea Salt, to taste
• Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• Chopped chives for garnish

Instructions

Put miso, mirin, dashi, sake and pickled chipotle in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Peel and section clementine orange. Set aside for plating.

Oil the tuna steaks and season with salt and pepper. Place tuna steaks on a HOT grill and cook roughly 60 seconds per side. Remove from heat and allow to rest 2 minutes.

Place 2/3 cup seasoned rice in the middle of the plate. Place the tuna steak on top of the rice. Top tuna steak with sections of the clementine orange (if you want to be fancy use clementine supremes) and add 2 Tablespoons of sauce on top. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve & enjoy!!

NOTES: if you don’t want to make the pickled chipotles, use 1 large chipotle, rehydrated, and 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar in its place.