Sumac-seared Albacore tuna with olives, lemon and herbs

Chefx is a local company delivering a weekly box of chef-inspired recipes and all the fresh ingredients needed to make your selected meals.

Owner Jeff Heaton and Marc Lepine, the chef at Atelier are the guests on All in a Day on Wednesday to talk about the idea and are bringing along Lepine's recipe for Sumac-seared Albacore Tuna with Olives, Lemon and Herbs.

Here's how to make it:

Sumac-seared Albacore Tuna with Olives, Lemon and Herbs

(a.k.a. “Surf & Turf”)

Estimated time to prepare: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pieces albacore tuna.
• 1 tbsp ground sumac.
• 1 cup dried olives.
• 1/2 cup shimeji mushrooms.
• 100 ml white wine vinegar.
• 1 shallot.
• 2 cloves garlic.
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns.
• 2 lemons.
• 1 tsp agar-agar flakes.
• 8-10 tiny carrots.
• 1 small Lebanese cucumber.
• Assorted herbs (chervil, lemon balm, tarragon, dill).
• Assorted edible flowers.
• 50 ml water.
• 1 tbsp & 2 tsp sugar.
• 1/2 tbsp salt.
• 2 tbsp olive oil.
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Pickle the shimeji mushrooms

• Crush garlic, mince shallot and separate Shimeji mushrooms and place in a bowl.
• In a saucepan, combine white wine vinegar, garlic, shallot, black peppercorns, 50 ml water, 1⁄2 tbsp salt, 2 tsp sugar, and bring to a boil.
• Pour boiling liquid over mushrooms and allow mushrooms to cool.

Make the lemon fluid gel

• Juice lemons (2 tbsp + 2 tbsp for dressing carrots/cucumbers).
• In a small saucepan, combine 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp agar-agar flakes and bring to a boil.
• Boil for 20 seconds, then pour onto a plate and allow to set.
• (Once set, mash with the back of a chef’s knife if necessary to make a smooth gel.)

​​Prepare remaining ingredients

• Mince dried olives.
• Peel carrots.
• Peel green skin from cucumber and discard, then use peeler to make white ribbons the length of the cucumber.

Dress carrots and cucumbers

• In a bowl, combine carrots and cucumber, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp olive oil, and toss.

Sear tuna 

• Dust tuna with sumac and salt.
• In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until pan is quite hot.
• Sear tuna only very briefly (about 1 minute per side) to keep it very rare.

Serve

• Spread olive grinds on plate and sit tuna overtop.
• Spoon small dots of lemon gel near tuna, then anchor carrots vertically using the lemon gel.
• Twist cucumbers into bouncy shapes and arrange around tuna, along with flowers, herbs, and shimeji mushrooms. Take a photo and enjoy!