“Tuna and ’nduja,” Gordon Ramsay’s daring recipe: spicy fish with 3 Michelin stars

The top chef uses a traditional Calabrian ingredient to add character to his “tuna steaks,” combining meticulous cooking with spicy notes.

Ingredients

• Olive oil: as needed for brushing
• 150–200 g calçot or grelot onions: peeled, cleaned, and cut in half lengthwise
• 2 slices of tuna (about 150–175 g each) cut from the thinnest part of the fillet
• 50 g ’nduja

For the salsa verde

• 25 g pickled gherkins: (drained weight)
• 35 g small capers: (drained weight)
• 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 anchovy fillets in oil: (drained)
• 1 small bunch (about 25 g) of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 small bunch (about 25 g) of fresh basil
• 1 handful (about 10 g) of fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar: (or to taste)
• 4–5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil: (to soften)
• Sea salt and black pepper: freshly ground, to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Salsa verde: Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse a few times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and well combined, adding enough olive oil to thin the mixture to the desired consistency. Season well with salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, you can stir in 1 tablespoon of cold water to thin it out. Cover and set aside.
2. Onions: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Drizzle a little olive oil over the onions, then season with salt and pepper. Place the onions in the very hot skillet and cook for 5–6 minutes, turning them occasionally, until they are nicely charred. Divide the onions between two warmed serving plates and set them aside.
3. Tuna: Season the tuna steaks, place them in the hot skillet, and sear for 1 minute per side. Gently spread the ’nduja on one side (the side facing up) of each tuna steak, then flip each steak so that the side with the ’nduja is now facing down in the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Carefully lift each tuna steak from the grill pan using a fish spatula to ensure the ’nduja stays on the fish.
4. Plating: Arrange the seared tuna slices on top of the charred onions, with the ’nduja-coated side facing up. Drizzle a little salsa verde over each serving, then serve immediately.

Chef’s Tips

• Calçot onions are large, sweet spring onions native to Catalonia (Spain), available from February through March. You can use French grelot onions, large, meaty spring onions, or baby leeks, if in season.
• Store any leftover green sauce in a screw-top jar or a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe adapted from “Bread Street Kitchen” by Gordon Ramsay and the Bread Street Kitchen team, published by Hodder & Stoughton.