Tuna Confit with Guindillas, Anchovy and White Onion - Chef Recipe by José Pizarro

Ingredients

"This is the interpretation of the famous gilda from restaurant Bodega Donostiarra, where they add tuna confit and some raw onion. The story with this dish is that you should eat it in one bite. It's big, so you need be a champion to eat it! A champion like cyclist Miguel ‘Big Mig' Indurain, the first Spaniard to win the Tour de France in 1991, who the dish is named after. This pintxo is made from five guindillas – representing the five tours Indurain won – and it's one of the bestselling." - José Pizarro.

Tuna confit:

750 ml (25 fl oz) olive oil
Pared zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
Few sprigs each of marjoram and thyme
10 black peppercorns
900 g (2 lb) bonito tuna loin cut into pieces, approximately 5 cm (2 in) long, 4 cm (1. in) wide and 2 cm (1 in) thick (ask a good fishmonger)

Pintxos:

6 salted anchovies
30 pickled guindillas or 18 large ones, halved (chilli)
6 small pieces of white onion
6 pitted manzanilla olives
Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle

Method

Tuna Confit:

Put the oil in a pan with the orange and lemon zests, the herbs and peppercorns. Heat the oil until it reaches 140–150°C (285–300°F). Remove from the heat and let it cool almost right down.

Slip the tuna into the barely warm oil, then return to the heat and bring back to 100°C (210°F). Take off the heat and allow the tuna to confit in the cooling oil. Test it after a few minutes to see if it is cooked – it should still be just a tiny bit pink in the middle when flaked.

Remove the tuna from the oil and put in a plastic container. Let the oil cool, then pour over the tuna and it will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Pintxos:

Take six small pieces of the tuna (keep the rest for other recipes). Top each piece with a salted anchovy, five guindillas, a piece of onion and an olive. Secure with a cocktail stick, if you like, and drizzle with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil before serving.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Basque by José Pizarro published by Hardie Grant $49.99 available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Basque by José Pizarro published by Hardie Grant $49.99 available in stores nationally.