We don't get much by way of good seafood on the blackland prairie
around Cow Hill. Those fishies just don't get this far upstream. So
it was a special dinner tonight when I cooked up a big hunk of
albacore tuna.

D and I drove to Dallas to see the Courbet exhibition at the museum.
(It was extraordinary, by the way.) Afterwards we got lunch at the S
and D Oyster house. Mmmm. Oysters. It was a fine, but expensive
lunch.

Lunch done, we drove to World Market and picked up a mixed case of
wine. Preparing for Thanksgiving and the multi-family feast planned
for our house, you know. Then it was off to Central Market for
assorted comestibles not available here on the rural prairie. I got
blood oranges, sweet limes, satsumas, olive oil, blue cheese, and --
wonder of wonders! -- a kaffir lime. D got mushrooms, cucumber,
zucchini, mesclun, and bulk cashews. The cashews make a good snack
congruent with the rules of the South Beach diet.

And we got a chunk of albacore.

Back home, I began a sauce by reducing some home-made chicken stock by
about 3/4. To this I added about 3/4 tsp Thai red curry sauce, three
or four shakes of fish sauce, about a tsp of kaffir lime zest and the
juice of 1/4 sweet lime. I let it cook a few minutes and dollpoed in
a little less than 1/4 cup plain yogurt. Whisked it up well and set
it aside.

I made a crust for the tuna by buzzin up about 1/4 cup pecans with 1/2
chipotle chile (red morita kind). some lime zest, some salt and
pepper. The tuna got rolled in the pecans to coat all sides.

After I'd sauteed some zucchini in olive oil and set it aside, I tosed
the fish in a non-stick skillet and cooked it over medium high heat
till it was nicely browned on all sides, but still rare in the center.

I'd already made a salad of blood orange slices, sliced cucumber, and
cherry tomatoes, dressed with olive oil, sweet lime juice, salt and
pepper.

I sliced the tuna, dribbled the sauce over it and served it with the
zucchini and blood orange salad.

It was very good.

Now, can I grow a tree from the seeds of the kaffir lime? It's worth
an experiment by my lights.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore