Hugh McGivern has been a chef for 30 years working all over the world. From Michelin restaurants in London to being the personal chef to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan where he also cooked for Barack Obama and most of the European Royal Families.
He is heavily involved in nutrition and for the last 6 years has been developing recipes for people with dementia, with the backing of 3 English Universities. His love of food stretches to the 4 corners of this earth and the specialities associated with each of them.
Continuing with our selection of some of his dishes, here is the one of his favourites for you to try and enjoy.
Seared Loin of Tuna with Zaytoun Olive Oil, Pears & Caviar
Ingredients:
- Tuna loin – ask your fishmonger to cut a long piece similar in size and shape to a pork filet
- Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 50ml Zaytoun olive oil (keep cold)
- 1tbsp caster sugar
- 15ml good quality balsamic vinegar
- 1 Bartlett pear – thinly sliced on a mandolin
- Thin slices of Ciabatta
- 1 plum tomato skinned and concassed
- 1 Tbspn of caviar
- Seasoning
Method:
- In a shallow dish, mix 40ml of the olive oil with the lemon juice and zest, add the tuna and coat well. Allow to marinade for about 20 minutes
- Heat a frying pan on the stove and allow to get hot, remove the tuna from the marinade, season well and pat dry.
- Add a dash of the remaining olive oil to the pan and quickly flash fry the tuna loin, colouring all round.
- Remove from the pan and wrap in 3 layers of cling film, tie the ends tight and place in the fridge
- Lower the heat and add the sugar, balsamic and 1/2 the marinade. Bring to the boil and allow to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool
- Brush the slices of Ciabatta with olive oil and toast until golden
- Thinly slice the pear using a mandolin
Assembly:
- Place a slice of the toasted Ciabatta on a plate and top with a couple of slices of the razor thin pear
- Remove the tuna from the cling film and slice thinly
- Arrange the tuna on top of the bread and pear. Drizzle with some of the olive oil and balsamic dressing and a sprinkling of the tomato concasse.
- For a special treat top with the caviar
Hugh recommends the following wine to accompany the dish:
Late Harvest Riesling, Columbia Valley, Washington
Eastern Washington’s low annual rainfall and cool nights during the growing season make it the perfect area for producing consistently great late harvest wines. The Hogue Cellars has developed a style of late harvest Riesling that is crisp yet moderately sweet. The wine was produced from select Riesling vineyards where the fruit can ripen to the required 24°+ Brix. At that level of ripeness, the wine develops its trademark tangerine/apricot flavour. Zesty aromas of orange, lemon-lime and peach are followed by flavours of tangerine, apricot and a trace of mineral. Serve with poached pears, apple pie or a cheese platter of Stilton, smoked Gouda and fresh goat cheese. It’s also excellent served well chilled as an aperitif.
