Nouilles Za Jiang { Photo: 12foot3.com }

Za Jiang: nouilles dans une sauce aux concombres et à la viande

My version of Morimoto's Tuna Pizza

In my post last week, I promised you a recipe from Morimoto’s The New Art of Japanese Cooking. I must admit that I took the easy way out on this one because I picked one of the easiest recipes in the book. But, in my defense, I was really curious about this amazing looking pizza and the fact that it is one of Morimoto’s most popular dishes! It is very easy to assemble and it packs an amazing taste punch! Umami all the way! Like me, you may think that olives might overpower the pizza with their taste and you may or may not hesitate to put them in. I have one advise for you: just follow the recipe. The man knows how to balance flavours and the end result will not disappoint, I promise!

A few changes were made to the original recipe, some on purpose and some beyond my control. I substituted the tuna for the more eco-friendly (and very canadian) salmon. I’m sure it would taste better with tuna but my conscience would not let me buy it so go with whatever you wish. I also could not find any barbecued eel sauce so I substituted with Korean barbecue sauce. If anyone knows where to find this in Montreal, please let me know. I went to 3 Asian grocery stores and they didn’t even know what I was talking about! Oh, one more change, I garnished with grown up, adult cilantro instead of the babies that cost $12.99 for 50g!

Morimoto's tuna pizza on the left and my salmon pizza on the right

Tuna or Salmon Pizza: (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 4 flour tortillas about 7 inches in diameter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup barbecued eel sauce (available in Asian specialty stores)
• 10 ounces sushi-grade tuna or salmon, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• Pitted Kalamata olives
• Anchovy Aioli (recipe follows)
• Baby cilantro or sprouts, for garnish (or regular cilantro leaves)

Method:

1. Prepare a medium fire in a barbecue grill or set a cast-iron grill pan over medium heat. Brush each tortilla lightly on both sides with olive oil. Brush 2 tablespoons of the barbecued eel sauce over one side of each tortilla.
2. Grill, sauced side down, for 1 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned grill marks appear. Rotate 90 degrees and grill for 1 to 2 minutes, until crisscross marks appear and the tortillas are fairly crisp. Turn the tortillas over and grill until the second side is crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
3. Arrange the tuna slices over the tortillas. Scatter the jalapeño peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and olives over the tortilla. Drizzle the Anchovy Aioli decoratively over the pizza. Garnish with the cilantro or sprouts.

Anchovy Aioli (Makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons anchovy paste1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, lemon juice, anchovy paste, and soy sauce. Blend well.
2. With the machine on, very slowly add the olive oil and vegetable oil in a slow, thin stream, processing until the mayonnaise is emulsified and thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note from Chef Morimoto: While this intensely flavored mayonnaise is used as a decorative sauce on the pizza, it’s an excellent accompaniment to steamed or grilled fish and makes a fabulous potato salad. Stored in a tightly covered container, the sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to five days. Note: the word aioli is used as a conceit here; there is no garlic in the recipe.

This is the perfect recipe for a warm summer night. The “aioli” is very scrumptious and I am planning on using the leftover on some grilled fish. I hope you’ll make this soon and if you do, please don’t hesitate to send me some pictures!