Grilled Tuna Steaks with Pineapple-Chili Sauce
Adapted from Quick & Easy Vietnamese by Nancie McDermott (Chronicle Books)
By Sacha Cohen
February 2006
Don’t settle for good fast food when you can have great food fast. The tuna is simple and tasty, and the sauce is fantastic. It’s a simplified version of mam nem, a pungent dipping sauce made with anchovies and pineapple, which is paired with grilled and fried foods, particularly fish. I suggest anchovy paste here, but you could substitute fish sauce or chopped anchovies and still have a terrific sauce.
Serves 4
| For the Fish |
| 2 |
tablespoons fish sauce |
| 1 |
tablespoon soy sauce |
| 1 |
tablespoon vegetable oil |
| 1 |
teaspoon sugar |
| 1/4 |
teaspoon black pepper |
| 1¼ |
pounds tuna steaks, or salmon, mackerel, or bluefish fillets or steaks |
| For the Pineapple-Chili Sauce |
| 1/3 |
cup fresh or canned pineapple chunks or drained crushed pineapple |
| 3 |
tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice |
| 2 |
tablespoons chopped green onions |
| 2 |
tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro |
| 2 |
tablespoons sugar |
| 1 |
tablespoon anchovy paste, chopped anchovies, or fish sauce |
| 2 |
teaspoons minced garlic |
| 1/2 |
teaspoon chili-garlic sauce or chopped fresh hot chilies |
| To marinate the fish, combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, oil, sugar, and pepper in a medium bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Place the fish steaks in the bowl, turn to coat them well, and let them marinate for 20 to 30 minutes, turning once. Cover and refrigerate for up to one day if you won’t be cooking the fish right away. |
To prepare the Pineapple-Chili Sauce, combine the pineapple, lime juice, green onions, cilantro, sugar, anchovy paste, garlic, and chili-garlic sauce in a mini food processor or blender, and blend until fairly smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside until serving time. |
|
To cook the fish, build a hot charcoal fire, preheat a gas grill, or preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the fish steaks carefully on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Or bake for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, add the bowl of Pineapple-Chili Sauce, and serve hot or warm.
|
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