Grilled Tuna with Pineapple-Ginger Glaze
Submitted by cwinters82569
Grilled tuna steaks brushed with a pineapple-ginger glaze made from reduced pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and fresh lime. Seared medium-rare in 6 minutes.
YIELD
4 ServingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThis glaze is a balancing act of sweet, sour, salty, and heat. Pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and white vinegar reduce by half into a sticky, concentrated base, then get hit with ketchup for body, fresh lime juice for brightness, and chopped cilantro for a fresh herbal finish.
The tuna steaks get a simple salt and pepper seasoning before hitting the grill. Three minutes per side gives you a seared exterior with pink still showing in the center. The glaze goes on only during the last minute of grilling so it caramelizes without burning.
That reduction step is where all the flavor concentrates. Twenty minutes of simmering turns a thin, watery mixture into something thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and cling to the fish.
Chef Tips
- Reduce the glaze until it’s truly halved in volume. Under-reduced glaze slides right off the tuna. You want it sticky.
- Grill over medium heat, not high. Tuna dries out fast over screaming hot coals, and the glaze will burn before the fish cooks.
- Paint the glaze on only during the last minute. The sugars in the brown sugar and ketchup will scorch if applied too early.
- For medium-rare, peek at the interior and pull when there’s still visible pink. Tuna continues cooking off the grill.
Variations
- Sesame crust: Press sesame seeds into the tuna steaks before grilling for a nutty, crunchy exterior under the glaze.
- Mango swap: Replace pineapple juice with mango nectar for a different tropical sweetness in the glaze.
Ingredients
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the ginger, pineapple juice, vinegar, soy and brown sugar, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to low.
And simmer until volume is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Add the ketchup and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, stir in the lime juice cilantro and white or black pepper and set aside.
Sprinkle the tuna generously with salt and pepper, then grill over a medium are for about 3 minutes a side, or until a peek in the interior shows some pink. (This is for medium rare; if you like it better done, keep cooking until it reaches the stage you like.)
During the last minute of cooking, paint each steak with a couple of tablespoons of the glaze.
Remove tuna steaks from the grill, top each with a tablespoon or two of glaze, and serve at once. Pass remaining glaze separately.
Serves 4.
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