The Fish that Almost Got Away

OK, I'll admit it. It's just the slightest bit more difficult for me to get inspired about cooking when all the markets are out of season and it's all gray and gloomy outside. My pantry looks more like the boat dealerships around town during the economic crisis than a kitchen in the heart of Food Town. i.e. it's EMPTY. I had my grocery brainstorm written, but after a long day at work, I thought twice out venturing back out. And then it hit me...the freezer! Ah, what a wonderful invention. It magically locks all of that summer and fall goodness in time so I can relive it whenever I feel the urge. OK, so there's some Thai basil, some green beans, some veggie corn dogs...oh yeah, and a veritable mountain of wild-caught albacore tuna.

Brilliant! What better way to invoke the sunshine then to break out the tuna, pulled straight from the Oregon waves by my fearless fishing friends back in July? I spent that sweltering day enjoying the heat wave on my deck, sipping frozen cocktails and soaking up as much Vitamin D as I could stand, but some of my mates were up before the sun and en route to Newport Bay on a single mission: tuna. Needless to say, since my freezer is still mostly overtaken by vacuum-sealed loins of the stuff, they were very successful.

Granted, it's been frozen for a few months now, but I still think you should honor the food you cook, especially when it's literally traveled straight from the ocean to my little stuffed freezer. So, I decided to keep it relatively simple. I found one of the smaller loins (still a honkin' good size) and sliced it into thick medallions, and then for a quick assembly line: flavor, crunch, sear. For flavor, I mixed together some low-sodium soy sauce, a splash of rice wine vinegar (I like the seasoned kind), a shake of sesame oil, ginger, garlic, a blob of local honey, and a healthy dose of Sriracha (that's "Rooster Sauce" to some of you). Half of that went in a little sauce pan on the stove, and the other half stayed on the assembly line. Next on the line was a little plate of Panko, which are Japanese bread crumbs made from bread without crusts. I like these better than regular bread crumbs when you're really going for texture because they are much more coarse and impart and lovely crunch.

So it's as simple as that: tuna in the flavor on both sides, tuna in the crunch on both sides, then tuna in the pan (medium-high, with a bit of oil) and seared for just a couple of minutes on both sides. (Remember, ocean-to-plate tuna does not appreciate being over-cooked.) The sides were just as simple: some whole grain couscous with a bit of salt and lemon zest, and a couple of baby spinach leaves for color and to keep us Popeye-strong. The flavor I mentioned in the little sauce pan was just simmered with a bit of palm sugar to be drizzled over the finished product for an extra punch. Added bonus: it's pretty healthy, too!

Right before we sat down to eat, my boyfriend decided to set the mood by lighting a candle, setting the table, and stabbing himself right through the palm with a kitchen knife. Luckily, he survived and still has two functional hands, but due to this incident I can happily report that this meal is also pretty tasty as a cold entrée.

Viva la freezer!