TUNA GRILLED TABLESIDE

Serves 6

Back in the day when we still served tuna, we used to “grill” it with liquid nitrogen. We would make fresh tofu and miso soup to serve alongside the fish. Then we would chill the grill with liquid nitrogen, bring it to the table and “sear” the tuna in front of the guest. It would smoke and char as if we were using real fire but when the guest tasted the fish it was cold, accompanied by a warm, rich soup. Experiencing the visual and temperature juxtaposition was really fun and the end result was totally delicious.

TOFU:

200 grams dried shelled soybeans

300 grams water, plus more for soaking

5 grams liquid nigari (see Sources, here)

DASHI:

600 grams water

50 grams kombu

20 grams bonito flakes

MISO SOUP:

50 grams red miso paste

25 grams scallion, thinly sliced

15 grams daikon radish, cut into small dice

TUNA:

450 grams (1 pound) tuna loin

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

Small tofu mold (see Sources, here)

Wood chips

Liquid nitrogen (see Sources, here)

Insulated cooler or dewar

TOFU:

Put the soybeans in a pot, cover with 2 inches of water, put the lid on the pot, and let the beans soak overnight, at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours, adding more water as needed to keep the soybeans submerged. After soaking, the beans should be tender and easily cut with a paring knife, and will have doubled in size.

Drain the soybeans and put them in a blender with 300 grams of water. Puree for 1 to 2 minutes, until it forms a thick puree. Transfer the pureed soybeans to a saucepot set over medium heat and bring the puree to 160°F. Stir frequently so the beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. Once a thick foam appears on top of the soybean puree, remove it from the heat and stir until the foam dissipates. Line a fine-mesh sieve with damp cheesecloth and strain the soy milk into a clean pot. Once most of the liquid has drained through and the beans are cool enough to handle, carefully twist and then squeeze the cheesecloth to get the remaining liquid into the pot. Discard the solids and weigh out 250 grams of soy milk.

Put the soy milk in a small saucepot set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn’t stick and burn. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer softly for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir vigorously. While the soy milk is moving in the pot add one-third of the nigari and mix it in it. When the milk settles, sprinkle another third of the nigari over the top of the soy milk. Cover and let stand for 3 minutes. Then sprinkle the remaining nigari over the soy milk and gently stir the top part of the milk back and forth a few times to incorporate. The soy milk should begin to curdle. Once you see this happening, stop stirring, cover the pot, and let it rest for 3 to 6 minutes, or until the whey turns a clear, pale yellow.

Line the tofu mold with the liner cloth. Use a ladle to lightly wet the cloth with some whey from the pot. Gently ladle the curds and whey into the tofu press, doing your best to keep them intact, then fold the cloth over the curds, cover, put a weight on the lid, and press overnight.

Just before serving, remove the tofu from the press and cut into ½-inch cubes.

DASHI:

Put the water in a saucepot, set over high heat, and bring to a boil. Place the bonito and kombu in a large pot and pour the boiling water over them. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepot.

MISO SOUP:

Set the Dashi over medium heat and bring to a simmer, but do not allow the soup to boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the miso, scallion, and daikon. Stir to combine. Cover and keep warm until ready to plate.

TUNA:

Remove the skin and silverskin from the tuna loin. Cut into 64-gram cubes. Season with salt and reserve until ready to “grill.”

TO FINISH:

Line a hotel pan with aluminum foil and fill halfway with wood chips. Light the chips with a torch and carefully place another sheet of aluminum foil on top. Place 6 small broiler racks (like those that come with toaster ovens) on top of the foil and carefully wrap the whole container with more foil. Smoke for 15 minutes. Once smoked, drop the grates into a dewar of liquid nitrogen, keeping submerged until the nitrogen stops bubbling.

Use a pair of tongs to remove the grates from the nitrogen and place in the top left corner of 6 large rectangular plates. Place a portion of Tuna onto the frozen grill, rotating the Tuna every 15 seconds to create “grill marks” on all sides. Put 100 grams of Miso Soup in each of 6 small bowls. Place on the top right side of the plate. Spoon 40 grams of Tofu into the soup. Lay 1 cube of “grilled” Tuna alongside the soup. Serve immediately.