When grilling tuna, choose a marinade based on personal preference, but avoid too much acid. Tuna cooks quickly and can be paired with subtle or robust marinades. Consider Asian Pacific or Mediterranean flavors and let the meat marinate for at least 30 minutes. Tuna is a lean meat that won’t burn from sugar content in the marinade.
Choosing a marinade for grilling tuna is generally based on personal preference. However, there are some very important considerations. Raw tuna and most other fish for that matter absorb the flavors of a marinade very quickly. As a rule, a grilled tuna marinade should contain a minimum of acids, such as lemon juice. Tuna also cooks very quickly to various levels of preferential doneness and corresponding taste.
Many markets do not offer a varied selection of fish suitable for the grill. The exception is tuna which is readily available in most parts of the world. Its powerful back muscles, also called loins, provide large, thick “steak cuts” of meat. Cooked meat is dense and firm; as a result, it won’t fall apart and crack on a rack.
Some people like to eat raw tuna and prefer rare grilled tuna. Others are fond of canned tuna and may prefer tuna that is carefully cooked on a grill. The choice for grilled tuna marinade should also be influenced by this. Raw tuna has a more subtle flavor and should be paired with a marinade with subtle seasonings and herbs. Cooked tuna is more robust and will stand up to a harsh marinade like a traditional sweet-and-spicy tomato barbecue.
When cooking with marinades, you need to let the meat sit and soak in the flavors for a while. It doesn’t even take a thick cut of raw tuna more than thirty minutes in the refrigerator to fully marinate. You can choose a grilled tuna marinade of any texture, ranging from thin watery to thick mushy. Your main concern in a store-bought bottle of marinade is the acids in the label’s ingredients list. An excess of vinegar or lemon juice will actually cook the delicate tuna flesh halfway through the marinating process.
Remember, tuna cooks in no time. A mostly rough piece with a thin outer layer of grill marks will take no more than two minutes on each side over hot coals or a gas flame. A fully cooked piece can take five minutes per side. The sugar content in your grilled tuna marinade isn’t an issue since it won’t be on the grill long enough to burn. The oils in the marinade are also acceptable, even preferable, because tuna is a very lean meat.
Some of the ingredients to consider in your tuna marinade, whether bought at a market or made from scratch, are Asian Pacific and Mediterranean. Examples of entrees well suited to tuna are sesame oil, ginger, and a Chinese sauce called hoisin. Mediterranean flavors usually include strong pastes, such as the olive puree called tapenade. The short cooking time of grilled tuna also means that fresh and dried herbs, such as dill, tarragon and chervil, make good marinade ingredients.
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