Grilled Yellowfin Tuna with Sweet Corn Salad, Herb Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant Caviar

Ingredients

• 6 (5-ounce) portions yellowfin tuna
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Sweet Corn Salad, recipe follows

Herb Roasted Tomatoes, recipe follows

Eggplant Caviar, recipe follows

Season each piece of the tuna with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Heat a grill to high and grill the tuna to the desired temperature. Place 1/2 cup of the Sweet Corn Salad on each of 6 plates, and place tuna on top. Garnish each portion of tuna with 2 tablespoons of the eggplant caviar and a 4 slices of the Herb Roasted Tomatoes.

Serve immediately.

Sweet Corn Salad:

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ears sweet corn, grilled with husk on, kernels cut off the cob
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, fine diced
• 1/2 cup peeled and finely diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon pure cane syrup (recommended: Steen's cane syrup)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat a large nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame. Add the oil, corn and onions, and saute for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Allow to cool.

Yield: 3 cups salad, about 6 servings

Herb Roasted Tomatoes:

• 2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to thoroughly coat. Place in a single layer on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet and bake until moist-dried, about 2 hours.

Let cool completely then store in airtight containers.

Yield: about 1 packed cup

Eggplant Caviar:

• 1 eggplant, sliced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced capers
• 1/2 teaspoon finely-chopped rinsed anchovies, optional
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

In a colander, toss the eggplant slices with about 1 tablespoon of the salt, then cover with a small plate and weight; set aside to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant slices briefly under cool running water and pat dry. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush both sides of the eggplant with some of the oil and grill until tender, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining slices and set aside to cool. Once cooled, cut the eggplant slices into small dice and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients (including any remaining olive oil), stir to combine, and season, to taste, with remaining salt (if necessary) and pepper.

Yield: 2 cups