It starts with fish, fresh ahi tuna to be precise. And it starts with a whisper:
“Did you hear the tuna boat is in town this weekend?”
This tuna comes from the ocean that I see each day when I walk along the beach—the Pacific Ocean embraced between Channel Islands National Park and the Ventura and Santa Barbara county coastline.
The tuna boat goes out each month during the season from December to April and returns with its catch. Not just ahi but other fish as well, although the ahi is our favorite. When they have their limit, they pull in to the Ventura Harbor, less than five miles from my house. They join the Saturday fisherman’s market where each week we can pick up lobster, Santa Barbara spot prawns, shrimp, fish, crabs, whelk, and other delights when they are in season.
People hear about it come from all over southern California, and they line up to buy whole fish or fish that’s already butchered.
We usually buy a whole fish right off the boat—sometimes 20 pounds, sometimes 60, depending on how many friends we will be sharing it with. We let them clean it, and cut it into 2-3 pound chunks, and we take the belly. One day I will take the carcass and make soup but I have not been that adventurous a cook yet. I am, however, a very adventurous eater.
Often we have a huge tuna feast with friends. Someone will carve the toro for sashimi while we gather and tell stories. Some drink wine, others drink beer.
When the pan is smoking hot with coconut oil, we sear the thick ahi steaks for 30 seconds or so on each side. We slice the steaks to reveal the hidden succulent ruby red flesh, and lay them on the greens from our gardens using special “fish” plates. On the head of the plate, we mound brown rice with a blueberry for an eye. We scatter local blueberries, and walnuts, and some white stilton with dried apricots. We drizzle sesame oil on the fish, and use an orange champagne vinegrette and walnut or olive oil.
And then we gather around the table and let the wine and the stories wine flow.
To serve 3-4
Slice into 4 1” thick steaks:
1 pound fresh sushi grade ahi
Melt 1 T coconut oil then
Sear ahi steaks in smoking hot iron skillet
30 seconds each side
To Plate:
1” field greens
1” slices tuna drizzled with sesame oil
1T white stilton with dried apricot
1 T walnuts
2 T fresh bluberries
Champagne Citrus vinegar
Walnut or olive oil
