Grilled Tuna Steaks with Salsa Pimenton

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In this seafood specialty, the pimentón is used in the marinade and in the sauce that seasons it at serving. Salmon steaks or the steaks of any large fish may be substituted. Serve with a Caesar salad and saffron rice.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons hot pimentón

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

  • 4 tuna steaks, 1-inch thick

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 medium purple onion, chopped

  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

  • 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

  • ½ cup minced green olives

  • Italian parsley leaves for garnish.

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of pimentón, salt and peppers, and the parsley and mix well. Rub this mixture over each side of the tuna steaks. Cover the steaks and marinate for 1 hour.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan and add the garlic, onion, another tablespoon of pimentón and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers and cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining pimentón and the olives and puree. Transfer the sauce back to the pan and keep warm.

Grill or broil the tuna steaks to the desired doneness. Serve covered with the sauce and garnished with the parsley leaves.

Caribbean Sun-of-a Beach Hot Pepper Sauce

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If there were a typical eastern Caribbean hot sauce, this might be it. It has hints of Trinidad, Barbados, and even Grenada. To be perfectly authentic, you should buy or grow the red habaneros so popular in that part of the Caribbean, called Congo or bonney peppers. This will last up to eight weeks in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Instructions

Combine the chiles, onion, garlic, papaya, and tomato in a food processor and puree (you may have to do this in batches). Remove to a shallow bowl.

Combine the vinegar, lime juice, and water in a saucepan and heat until it reaches a slight boil, then sprinkle the thyme, basil, nutmeg, mustard, and turmeric. Pour this hot, spiced mixture over the reserved puree and mix thoroughly. It will last up to eight weeks in the refrigerator.

Caribbean Sun-of-a Beach Hot Pepper Sauce

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This will last up to eight weeks in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

white onion, garlic, cider vinegar, lime or lemon juice, papaya

Instructions

If there were a typical eastern Caribbean hot sauce, this might be it. It has hints of Trinidad, Barbados, and even Grenada. To be perfectly authentic, you should buy or grow the red habaneros so popular in that part of the Caribbean, called Congo or bonney peppers.

  • 1/2 pound red habanero chiles, seeds and stems removed

  • 1 white onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup lime juice (or lemon juice)

  • 2 tablespoons water

  • 1 medium papaya, boiled until tender, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

  • 1 tomato, finely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon thyme

  • 1 teaspoon basil

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • 2 tablespoons dry mustard

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Combine the chiles, onion, garlic, papaya, and tomato in a food processor and puree (you may have to do this in batches). Remove to a shallow bowl.

Combine the vinegar, lime juice, and water in a saucepan and heat until it reaches a slight boil, then sprinkle the thyme, basil, nutmeg, mustard, and turmeric. Pour this hot, spiced mixture over the reserved puree and mix thoroughly. It will last up to eight weeks in the refrigerator.

Yield: 3 to 4 cups

Heat Scale: Hot

Chuck’s Chiptole Sauce

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This chipotle sauce is a version of coauthor Chuck’s best-selling brown hot sauce, Smokey Chipotle® Hot Sauce, manufactured by Sauces & Salsas, Ltd. under the Montezuma® brand. A tasty way to reconstitute dried chipotle chiles is to place them in a bowl and cover them with cider vinegar. After several days, the chiles will be reconstituted and will be plump.

Ingredients

  • 12 dried chipotle chiles, stems removed, reconstituted as above or soaked in hot water for 1 hour

  • 1 medium white onion, sliced

  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 3 cups water

  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar

  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce

  • Salt to taste

  • 2 cups white distilled vinegar (more or less, depending on the thickness of the sauce you desire)

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients except the 2 cups of distilled vinegar in a saucepan, cover, and simmer over low heat until the sauce is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Puree the mixture in a food processor or a blender until a paste-like, seeded mixture is achieved.

Combine the paste and the vinegar in a bowl and stir well. Strain through a sieve to remove the seeds and discard the solids.

 

Transplanted Sriracha Sauce

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A table condiment to similar to ketchup–but much more pungent–sriracha sauce is named after a seaside town in Thailand. Increasingly popular, this sauce is found on the tables of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants all over North America. Fresh red chiles are the key to the flavor of this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh red serrano, cayenne, Thai, or chile de arbol chiles, stems removed

  • 2 1/2 cups rice vinegar (substitute white distilled vinegar)

  • 1/4 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Remove the stems from the chiles. Place the chiles and vinegar in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Place the saucepan contents in a food processor or blender and puree until a smooth thin-paste consistency. Add additional rice vinegar if the mixture is too thick. Allow the mixture to steep for several hours, place in glass containers, and refrigerate. The consistency should be slightly thinner than ketchup.

 

Optional: Strain the sauce through sieve and discard the solids for a smooth, seedless consistency.