Recipe by Chef Bret Thompson of Pez Cantina and La Piñata
@lapinatapopup @pezcantina @pezpowder
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 ea 5oz Ahi Tuna Steaks (You can also use Albacore Tuna!)
- 2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil (or other neutral oil)
- Pez Powder Original Chile and Lime Seasoning - Purchase inside our Markets or online HERE!
Salad
- 4 oz Arugula
- 1 cup Pear Tomatoes
- 4 ea Hardboiled Eggs, halved
(Add eggs to cold water, bring to a boil, turn off and let sit in hot water for 15 minutes. Strain and peel) - 20 ea Niçoise Olives (may substitute for another olive)
- 4 oz Green Beans, trimmed and blanched
(Cook the green beans in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes until tender, and then shock in an ice bath) - 4 pc Red Radish, sliced thin
- 1 lb Roasted Fingerling or Small Potatoes
(Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper then bake at a 450°F pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes, or until cooked and slightly crispy)
Vinaigrette
- 1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon or any mustard
INSTRUCTIONS:
Vinaigrette:
In a bowl combine balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and mustard. Slightly whisk and set aside.
Pez Powder Blackened Ahi Tuna:
Season each side of Tuna with Pez Powder Original Chile and Lime Seasoning.
Heat a thick bottomed pan on the stove over high heat. When the pan is hot, add avocado oil (the oil should be mildly smoking.) Carefully place the 4 pieces of Tuna in the oil and let it cook for about 15 seconds per side. Remove and let it chill slightly. Slice each Tuna into 5 fanned out pieces.
Plating:
Evenly divide the arugula into 4 separate bowls. Freely sprinkle all the eggs and salad ingredients on top and then fan the Tuna on top. Drizzle with some vinaigrette and finish with a dash of salt and fresh crack black pepper on top to taste.
About the Chef
Chef Bret Thompson
Chef Bret Thompson was inspired to create Pez Cantina, his seafood-focused restaurant in Downtown L.A., by his travels to Loreto on the Sea of Cortez and by his marriage into a Mexican family. At Pez he has a created a menu focused on sustainable, local ingredients that draws from the traditions of the distinct Coastal Mexican cuisines of Baja, Oaxaca, and the Yucatan Peninsula. Pez Cantina has quickly become a mainstay of Bunker Hill’s dining culture.
Bret’s earliest memories of the sea are from about the age of 7 when he would accompany his father and his uncles on overnight fishing trips out of San Pedro. His fishing skills at that young age were enough to draw the competitive spirit out of his adult relatives; it was on these trips that he first learned to love the sea.
Chef Thompson has been counting on Santa Monica Seafood for his fresh seafood since he was the opening chef for Catal at Downtown Disney in 2001. His advice to home cooks looking to make spectacular seafood at home is to focus on freshness first, heat second (“99.99999% of the time you cook seafood as hot as possible!”) and always be mindful of your spices. Don’t just salt once and be done with it – salt, taste, adjust and season again until you’ve got the flavor perfect.
Pez Cantina
401 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 258-2280
www.pezcantina.com
La Pinata
686 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 716-9400
www.pinata.la.com