Tried & Tested: Seared Tuna & Pinot Noir

Ingredients (per person):

1 clove garlic (finely sliced)
1-2 spring onions (finely sliced lengthways)
handful fresh coriander
1 small red chilli (finely sliced lengthways)
150g rice noodles (see pack for instructions)
1 tuna steak
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp black pepper

Method:

Mix together 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp fish sauce and the soy sauce in a small bowl.  Dip the tuna steak and cover all sides.  Sprinkle your black pepper over the steak, again covering all sides and lightly push the seasoning in without altering the shape of the fish.

On a low heat, slowly fry off the garlic, spring onion and chilli with the remaining fish sauce and sesame oil.  Keep this on the heat, without burning whilst you finish with the remaining ingredients.

Prepare  your noodles as per the pack instructions - usually these take a couple of minutes so put them on before the tuna.  If they take longer, prepare them before the veg.

Place a clean pan on a medium heat.  Once hot, place your seasoned tuna in the middle of the pan.  The cooking time depends on the size of your tuna steak - 2 minutes on each side should be ok, leaving larger steaks a little pink in the middle.
To serve, slice the tuna and place on a bed of noodles, and sprinkle the edges with the chilli and garlic mix.  If you prefer a little more sauce, you can return the pan to the hob, and throw in a splash more soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and cook for a further minute, ready to drizzle over the plate.  Garnish with coriander to finish.

I chose this dish as a classic recommendation for matching Pinot Noir and seared tuna.   The lightly spiced Carrick Unravelled Pinot Noir was chosen to compliment the peppery flavours of the tuna, and the aromas of fragrant chilli and nutty, caramelised garlic.