Smoked Gulf Tuna Nicoise

Luke Restaurant: Photo Credit: George Long

Luke Restaurant submitted this recipe at the 2010 New Orleans Wine and Food Experience culinary competition.
Cook/Prep Time: 1 HourServings: 6

Ingredients

Cucumber Salad

1 each English cucumber, peeled, seeded and small diced
5 T buttermilk
1 T freshly chopped dill
Pinch of salt

Heirloom Tomatoes

2 large heirloom tomatoes
1 T capers
1 T champagne vinegar
2 T olive oil
Pinch of salt  

Eggs

3 whole chicken yard eggs
2T Zatarains liquid crab boil
1T salt

Green Beans

1# fresh green beans
1t chopped anchovy
1T chopped tarragon
1t sherry vinegar
1T olive oil

Potatoes

3 ea Yukon gold potatoes
Olive oil to cover
3 bay leaves

Tuna

1 ½ # fresh gulf tuna, small diced
3 T Dijon mustard
2 T capers rinsed
1T chopped chives

Olive Tapenade

2 cloves of garlic
¼ c pitted nicoise olives
1 anchovy
1t minced thyme
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ c olive oil

Directions

CUCUMBER SALAD

Combine all ingredients and reserve.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES

Quickly blanch the tomatoes in simmering water and then remove their skins. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and remove the seeds from the flesh. Small dice the flesh. Finely chop the capers and mix all ingredients together.

EGGS

Place the eggs in enough cold water to cover them and then add the crab boil and the salt. Bring the eggs to a simmer and allow them to simmer for 11 minutes after that. Remove from the heat and cool. Dice the eggs and reserve.

GREEN BEANS

Blanch the green beans, shock in ice water and thinly slice into rounds. Mix with the tarragon, vinegar and oil.

POTATOES

Dice the potatoes and cover with oil and add 3 fresh bay leaves. Cover and place in a low oven until potatoes are cooked through. Cool and store in oil.

TUNA

Combine all ingredients and reserve.

OLIVE TAPENADE

Puree the garlic, thyme, anchovy, olives, and lemon juice into a paste in a food processor. With processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Reserve.

ASSEMBLY

 Use 6 rocks glasses and, starting from the bottom, add the cucumbers, followed by the tomatoes, eggs, green beans, strained potatoes, tuna and a small amount of tapenade. Place the glasses under a domed plate and smoke using a smoking gun for ten seconds.

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