Tuna is a very robust fish, so it cooks beautifully on a barbecue; it retains flavor and moisture and the slight smoke works so well with the oiliness of the fish. The chermoula paste is a spicy, lemony number that adds real zing—it will keep well in your fridge for a few days, so if there is any left over or you are inclined to double the amount you make, it will work well in a tinned tuna salad or in a sandwich with salted or cured beef.

Serve the shish with baked potatoes for a hearty meal.

Tuna shish with chermoula and preserved lemons from “Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant” by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich (Photo: Patricia Niven)
Tuna shish with chermoula and preserved lemons from “Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant” by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich (Photo: Patricia Niven)

Tuna Shish With Chermoula and Preserved Lemons

Makes 4 skewers (allow 2 per person for a meal)

Ingredients

  • 2 good-quality thick tuna steaks (about 400 grams/14 ounces in total)
  • Drizzle of olive oil, for brushing
  • Flaky sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • For the chermoula:
  • 2 preserved lemons, skin only (pulp and seeds removed)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ red chilli
  • 1 bunch coriander, top part only
  • ½ bunch parsley, leaves picked
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • About 50 milliliters/1¾ ounces olive oil

Directions

  1. We like to make this chermoula by hand, chopping everything until very fine, then mixing it with the oil in a small bowl. You could use a pestle and mortar instead to pound the ingredients, in which case add the oil at the end once everything else is well-combined.
  2. Cut each tuna steak into four large cubes and thread two on each skewer. Brush well with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a very hot grill to cook and char nice lines. Turn the skewers after a minute and repeat twice more to char the tuna cubes for a minute on each side. We rather like the interior a little raw, but if you don’t, simply cook for 30 seconds more on each side. Remove from the grill, douse with the lemon juice, then top with the chermoula.
  3. To cook without a grill: Use a lightly oiled, preheated griddle pan on your stove and cook just as you would on the fire. Or you could simply use a non-stick frying pan.
ChasingSmoke_cover
(Courtesy Rizzoli)

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