Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Tuna Burgers and Wasabi deviled eggs


I'm sorry, but my Martha Stewart Living subscription is one of the best parts about getting mail! Jack rolls his eyes at me when I repeat things from it. "Well Martha says..." Of course, the food sections are my favorite. The latest issue has a section on Hamburgers with fantastic deconstructed photography of different ideas that put a twist on the classic. Feeling decadent, I chose to try the Tuna burger. That's 1 1/2 pounds of yellowfin tuna! Not cheap. But actually, it worked out to be just about $3.50 per burger, so if I think of it that way...

The website warns that they will fall apart on the grill (a warning I don't remember seeing in the magazine...), but we packed them pretty tight, then let them firm up in the freezer for a half hour or so. And with grill-master Jack at the helm, they turned out intact, delicious and oh so pretty. Take a gander at those perfect grill marks and tell me this guy's not a keeper! Fo' Sizzle!


We didn't make the coleslaw...they really didn't need it, as they were plenty moist and flavorful on thier own. We did butter and grill the buns, and I added sprouts to mine. Cuz I love sprouts (that's right! A meat eater who loves tofu AND sprouts!). I did, however, make the suggested side dish, wasabi deviled eggs. I thought it sounded like a fun little twist, even though I'm not the biggest deviled egg fan. I'd rather just eat a plain ol' egg with some salt and pepper. These were okay, but nothing too special. And man, my egg peeling skillz are awful! Every one of those eggs was stubborn, and they were quite ugly after I was done with 'em. Any egg peeling tips? Should I not have let them cool all the way (even though Martha told me to)?

Overall a good summer dinner. Next time we will form smaller tuna patties, as these were gigantic and really really filling. This recipe would make brilliant teeny burgers, for sure.

Tuna burgers

• 1 1/2 pounds yellowfin tuna, cut into 1-inch pieces, chilled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Make the burgers: Fit a food grinder with a grinding plate with about 1/4-inch holes. Grind tuna into a bowl. Or, do as Iron Stef did and pulse the fish in your food processor 5 or six times. Add garlic, ginger, lemon zest, mustard, salt, and pepper. Mix gently, and shape into four 1-inch-thick patties. Cover, and refrigerate until cold and firm, about 30 minutes.

Keeping plenty of oil handy to avoid sticking, grill to desired doneness.


Wasabi Deviled eggs

• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi paste
• 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice-wine vinegar
• 2 large scallions, minced (3 tablespoons)
• Coarse salt
• Pea shoots or sprouts, for garnish

Prepare an ice-water bath. Place eggs in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover eggs by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Cover, and
remove from heat. Let stand 13 minutes. Drain, and transfer eggs to ice-water bath until cold.

Peel eggs, and halve lengthwise. Transfer yolks to a medium bowl, and mash with a fork until smooth. Stir in mayonnaise, wasabi, vinegar, and
scallions. Season with salt. Pipe or spoon filling into whites. Garnish with pea shoots or sprouts.

6 comments:

junipie said...

those burgers look delicious!

Whenever I peel my hard-boiled eggs, I run them under cold water. Mostly because I can never wait for them to cool down all the way, but I think it helps too. I'm sure you have heard that fresh eggs are much harder to peel than older ones and it is so true. The shell always sticks if I try to peel eggs I bought that day, but with older eggs I can peel the top part and then roll them around, cracking the shell that remains, and it usually just slips right off. Now I am totally craving hard-boiled eggs! I'm thinking these wasabi ones would be good fourth of july fare... hmm...

Paula said...

Gosh, those tuna burgers look great! I love your idea of making tiny ones, too. Great blog!

Anonymous said...

Your tuna burgers look so juicy (I'm adding a food grinder to my list of things I need)! The whole meal is perfect for a casual summer lunch/dinner.

Anonymous said...

Great combo! It all looks very good.

Anonymous said...

I have to say that Martha's magazine is one of my guilty pleasures. The food she includes looks so gosh darn tasty! Of course, I've never tried one of the recipes myself, but now that I know it's do-able for those of us without sous chefs to go around and prep everything ahead of time, I just might try those wasabi deviled eggs. They sound mighty good...

Butterscott said...

Looks delicious for sure, way to go Grillmaster Jack!
As far as peeling eggs goes, put salt in the water you boil them in,boil for 10 minutes then shock them in cold water for 1-2 min, crack them on the large end and roll the crack around the egg, peel under running water and pray for the best. I think part of the trick is to let them cool slightly and therfore shrink the egg in the shell. They can be frustrating when it's not working.