Grilled Tuna with Shellfish Mole Sauce
New Mexico Chiles are the dried form of the Red Anaheim Pepper. This chile has a thin flesh with an earthy chile flavor and undertones of wild cherries. This chile ranges from 2 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. The New Mexico Chile may be referred to as the California Chile or Chile Colorado. New Mexico Chiles are commonly used in Red Mexican or Southwestern sauces and is grown in Mexico. This mildly hot chile. Scoville heat units 8,000 – 12,000.
Suggested Use:
New Mexico Chiles are mildly hot and very popular in Southwest cooking. Great in sauces, salsa, rice dishes, stews and soups. Add directly to the cooking liquid along with other spices. Use in stir fry, or add to chicken or fish marinades.
Ingredients:
Mole Sauce:
1/4 cup pure olive oil
4 yellow corn tortillas
2 ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed
2 New Mexican chiles, seeded and stemmed
1 pasilla chile, seeded and stemmed
1/2 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 head garlic, roasted, cloves separated
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
4 cups lobster stock
4 medium tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 oz. Ibarra or semisweet chocolate
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
Grilled Tuna:
8 tuna steaks, 1-1/2-2″ thick, about 6 oz. each
olive Oil
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Mole Sauce:
In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the oil to 375F or until a small bread cube sizzles on contact. Fry the tortillas and all the chiles until crisp, about 10-15 seconds. Remove with tongs and place in a food processor or blender. Add the onion and garlic to the oil and fry until browned, about 2 minutes. Add to the processor.
Pour out all but 2 Tbsp. of the oil and toast the almonds until golden brown. Add the almonds and 1 cup of stock to the processor and process the tortillas, chiles, onion, garlic and almonds to a puree, adding more stock if needed. Pour the puree into a medium saucepan and add the remaining stock, the tomatoes and raisins. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 1 hour and 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chocolate, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer another 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Grilled Tuna:
Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Brush the tuna with olive oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill for 2 minutes on each side. Place tuna on a serving plate and spoon the mole around them.
Recipe by Bobby Flay.