Yellow Fin Tuna with Maine Shrimp Salsa and Jalapeno Black Beans and Rice

When a person thinks about tuna, often their minds are on that cheap fish that comes in a can, that is used for Tuna Fish Sandwiches, or Tuna Casseroles, however tuna is much more than the cheap fish mush that comes in tins, and is honestly a wonderful fish.   Tuna is popular in tuna or sashimi, and also it is amazing seared and served in a plethora of ways, so I think that it is sad that such an amazing fish has been given such a bad rep as the junk in tins in the canned food section of the store.   

I work at a fish market in Portland Maine, and one of the great joys is cooking the amazing fresh seafood items that we get into our store.   This week our fishermen landed a beautiful yellowfin tuna, and I had to get my hands on some of that wonderful fish.   Tuna is a dark meat fish, much darker and richer than even a salmon, and is great prepared in a multitude of ways.   Another item that our store has in right now, is precooked, head-on, Maine Shrimp...which I suppose needs a bit of explaining.   Maine shrimp is the common name for Pandalus Borealis a species of shrimp that were at one time very common and abundant in the Gulf Of Maine, however with climate change and the increase of water temps in the Gulf Of Maine, Maine Shrimp have migrated to the colder waters of the Bay of Fundy and off of the coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, meaning that if you find Maine Shrimp in the store now, it is Canadian.   To be honest there is no shrimping in Maine anymore, so all shrimp found in Maine is from away.   So we really need to start thinking about climate change, because just a few degrees of change can cause a huge environmental impact.   Climate change has led to changes in habitat causing Maine shrimp to migrate to colder waters to the north, as well as being the reason that more great white sharks are found coming closer to the coast of Maine, and invasive southern species of crabs taking over the the habitats of our native crab species, which is devastating the crab populations on the coast of Maine.  

Tuna however are still thriving in the coastal waters of Maine, especially the beautiful Yellow Fin tuna.   For this meal I got a little over a pound of tuna, and cut it into four large pieces, I also got a little under a pound of Maine Shrimp, and made a beautiful Tuna with Maine Shrimp Salsa.

Salsa:
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 large shallot (minced)
The Juice of 1 Lime
2 large handfuls of Cilantro
8-10 multi coloured cherry tomatoes
a small pour of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
2 small hot peppers (of your choice, I used chilis)
a handful of precooked Maine Shrimp (any pre-cooked shrimp would work fine)

Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss with a large spoon until well mixed. 

Tuna:
coat the bottom of a grill pan with olive oil
season all sides of the tuna with Tajin seasoning
sear the tuna until about med rare (just a few minutes per side, don't over-cook, I look at the side of the cooking fish, and when it is cooked a little under half-way, I flip it with tongs, and cook the otherside until just under half way cooked up the side, this should leave you with a med rare cooked center.

Black Beans:
in a med-small pot heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom
when oil is hot, add in:
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 shallot (diced)
a large of pinch of sea salt
the juice of a half of a lime
when that gets nice and aromatic add in:
1 diced jalapeno (when it is softened and the flavours have mingled with the shallot and the garlic)
add in a small handful of cilantro
add one can of black beans (with the juice included)
cook on a med heat until hot

Rice:  
Cook a cup of Jasmine rice according to your rice cooker

1. Start rice
2. make salsa
3. start black beans
4. cook the tuna
5. plate, and garnish with Avocado, cilantro and lime wedges

 This meal turned out amazing, and is definitely one I would recommend trying, though make it your own, add things that you think would go well, add more spice if you are into spice, or less if you aren't, but keep the salsa light, more like a pico than a heavy salsa.   Tuna and shrimp couple with the spice of the peppers really well.  I hope you get a chance to try it and enjoy it as much as I did.