Red Lentil Crusted Albacore Tuna with Beluga Lentil and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
It’s interesting to watch chefs all tackle a challenge to develop a recipe. Chef Dang has created a very ‘clean’ dish where all the flavours and textures are in concert one with another.
Red Lentil Crusted Tuna
- 1 small albacore tuna loin, trimmed
- 2 cups red lentils, ground in a spice grinder then sifted
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp black pepper, finely ground
- 1 tbsp canola oil
In a bowl, combine lentils, salt and pepper.
Using a baking sheet, evenly spread out the lentil crust. Roll the tuna loin in the crust, ensuring there is no exposed meat.
Pre-heat a heavy bottom frying pan or a very hot grill/griddle to high heat. Sear the tuna loin on all sides for 20 seconds. Once all sides have been seared, place on a wire rack and cool in the fridge.
To serve, slice loin into 1 cm thick slices.
Beluga Lentil and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
- 1 cup beluga lentils, boiled in seasoned water until tender the drained
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp black pepper, ground
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely minced
- 1 tsp grainy mustard
- Salt, to taste
In a small pot, combine half the cherry tomatoes, honey, sherry vinegar, and black pepper. Simmer until tomatoes are fully cooked.
Pass through a coarse sieve. In a mixing bowl, combine the tomato mixture with all the remaining ingredients. Season to taste.
To serve, slice tuna loin 1 cm thick and arrange on top of the lentil mixture.
Serves 6
Chef Quang Dang
West Restaurant & Bar, Vancouver, BC
Chef Quang Dang began his culinary career at West, where he worked as Junior Sous Chef. For the next five years, while working his way ever-upward in some of Vancouver’s finest kitchens, Quang quickly established himself as an advocate of sustainability and a champion of West Coast cuisine, a role that he continues to undertake in defining his approach to modern cookery.
