SPICY GRILLED TUNA (OR OTHER FISH) WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALSA

SPICY GRILLED TUNA (OR OTHER FISH) WITH HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALSA image

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

8 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
fresh hot green chiles to taste (roughly 2 serranos or 4 jalapenos), stemmed
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
salt
Six 5-6 oz fresh tuna steaks or skinless meaty fish fillets, such as snapper, grouper, wahoo, marlin or salmon, about 3/4 inch thick
3 cups chopped (1/4 inch dice) heirloom tomatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 small red onion
2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs - cilantro

Steps:

1. The marinade/Flavoring. In a small dry skillet, roast the unpeeled garlic and chiles over medium heat, turning occasionally until soft (the skins of both will have blackened in spots, which is ok as long as the flesh doesn't burn) 5-10 minutes for the chiles, 15 minutes for the garlic. Cool, then peel the garlic. Place both garlic and chiles in a food processor or blender along with the lime juice. Run the machine until the mixture is as smoothly pureed as possible. Season highly with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon. 2. Marinating the tuna. Scoop two-thirds of the marinade into a large nonaluminum baking dish. Lay the fish in the marinade and smear the mixture on all sides of each piece. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the salsa. 3. The Salsa. Scrape the remaining marinade into a medium bowl. Mix in the chopped tomatoes. Scoop the onion into a small strainer, rinse under cold water and shake off the excess; add to the tomatoes. Stir in the herbs. Taste and season with additional salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. 4. Grilling the fish. Heat a gas grill to medium-high or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the coals are covered with gray ash and very hot (the fire feels almost intolerably hot to most cooks when they hold their hand 4-5 inches above the grill grate for 5 seconds). Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill and let the grate heat up, 5 minutes or so. Remove the fish from the marinade, brush or spray with a generous coating of oil and lay on the hot grill. Cover the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, flip the fish over, cover once again and cook until the fish is as done as you like- 1 to 2 minutes more is all that's needed for medium rare tuna. Transfer fish to dinner plates, spoon on salsa and herb sprigs. Marinade will hold for a day or two in the fridge if well covered. Don't marinate fish for more than 3-4 hours.