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Fennel confit has such a lovely rich flavour and beautiful texture, ideally sui ted to the magnificent tuna fish. You have to cook the fennel long and slow to get the desired texture .
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 preserved lemon quarters, pith discarded and skin thinly sliced 80g pitted Kalamata olives 1 handful flat leaf parsley
4 × 150g tuna steaks salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling. For the fennel confit
4 fennel bulbs thinly sliced zest of 1 lemon 4–6 garlic cloves
1 handful of herbs such as flat leaf parsley, thyme, rosemary or sage extra virgin olive oil, to cover
METHOD:
To make the fennel confit, preheat the oven to 90°C. Place the fennel in a baking dish or tin so that the fennel fits snugly.
Add the lemon zest, garlic and herbs to the fennel and enough olive oil to cover. Cover with foil and cook for 2–3 hours, until tender. Allow to cool, then remove the fennel from the oil and refrigerate until needed.
Lightly toss the preserved lemon, olives and parsley together in a bowl. Halve and core the fennel bulbs, and add to the bowl.
Heat a barbecue grill or chargrill pan until hot. Season the tuna steaks with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the oil and seasoning into the fish.
Cook the tuna for 1–2 minutes on each side, until it is just seared. Remove and place on individual serving plates.
Top each tuna steak with two fennel halves and some of the preserved lemon mixture.
Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, season with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Recipe from Harvest, Hardie Grant, £15