Spiced tuna and cauliflower tapenade

Tamara West

Tapenade is a spread made with olives, capers and anchovies, which comes from Provence in the south of France. The olives would normally be too strong for the tuna, so I’ve made a more subtle version with cauliflower and I am not an anchovy fan (but you can add them in). The tuna gets its delicious flavour from being cured in salt, sugar and spices, which also helps firm up the flesh. In the Vinnies’ kitchen we lightly toast whole coriander and cumin seeds in a pan, then grind them by hand with a pestle and mortar for an extra fragrant finish to the tuna. When making the tapenade I like to cut just the florets (the top of the cauliflower), as this is the sweetest and most delicious part.

Makes 16

Ingredients

350 g	Tuna, or kingfish (Main)
¼ cup	Sugar
¼ cup	Salt
1 tsp	Ground coriander
1 tsp	Ground cumin
4 slices	Bread, wholegrain
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 cup	Cauliflower, chopped
2 Tbsp	Capers, finely chopped
1 tsp	Thyme, leaves only, sliced
1 tsp	Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, sliced
½	Lemons, zested
2 tsp	Lemon juice
2 tsp	Olive oil
1 pinch	Salt
1	White pepper

Directions

1. Trim tuna into bite-sized logs, combine sugar, salt and spices then roll tuna in this mix. Marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Gently wash tuna under cold water, pat dry with paper towels, then sear each side for 5 seconds in a hot, non-stick frying pan. Place in the fridge to cool completely.
3. Heat oven to 180C. Roll each slice of bread with a rolling pin to flatten it completely, cut shapes the same size as the tuna, brush with olive oil then bake for 5 minutes or until golden.
4. For the tapenade, boil cauliflower in salted water for 30 seconds, strain into a fine sieve then refresh in a bowl of iced water. Drain and then place on paper towels. Finely chop the cauliflower then mix in a bowl with capers, fresh herbs, lemon zest, juice and oil. Season to taste.
5. Use a thin bladed knife to slice the tuna, arrange on top of wholegrain toasts, spoon cauliflower tapenade on to each one and serve immediately.