Jun 12, 2014

Summer Bites: Brioche Burger with Seared Tuna and Sriracha Uni Sauce

It's truly a blessing when friends around me are all great cooks. We were having a burger cook-off over the weekend and the results were restaurant quality, actually, even better than professionally made burgers. There were a wide variety of burgers including all time favorite beef, bacon, and sausages. Healthier options such as Portobello buns and turkey burgers are also available. On the more exotic side, we have ground lamb burger and my creation of seared tuna burger.


The recipe here is the toned down version of the seared tuna burger. I actually added even few more pieces of fresh uni and torched them till slightly burned before serving to my friends. Please do the same if budget allows, the more uni in the burger the merrier. 

Ingredients (for 4)?

  • 0.35 lb of sashimi grade tuna
  • 0.25 lb of fresh uni
  • 4 mini brioche buns
  • 2 Roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 Granny Smith apple
  • 1/2 lime
  • 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter 
  • 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground green peppercorn
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha
  • Small bundle of cilantro 
  • Some olive oil
  • Some sea salt


How?

Blend the uni with 1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt with a food processor. Once ready, scoop out the sauce and store in the fridge first.

Cut the Roma tomatoes in half and remove the seeds. Cut into smaller squares and mix with about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground green peppercorn.




Peel the Granny Smith apple and cut half of it into tiny squares. Brush with some lime juice to prevent from browning while also adds a touch of citrus aroma at the same time.




Carefully slice each brioche buns in half and brush the inside with some room temperature butter. Heat up the buns with buttered side down on the grill till browned. Do not press down the buns and make sure to keep an eye on it. These buttery buns tend to get burned fairly quickly. 


The sashimi grade tuna I got came in one medium sized rectangular piece. Brush all sides with some olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Transfer to a non-stick pan and turn to medium heat. Sear till all sides are semi-cooked but the center remains pinkish. Remove from heat and let it rest for couple minutes. Slice the fish, about 1 cm or 0.3 inch thickness. 


To assemble, take half of the bun and top with tomato/cilantro mixture. Line about 3 pieces of seared tuna over the tomatoes -




Top the tuna with Granny Smith apple and drizzle with Sriracha uni sauce -




Add a few more pieces of uni if possible, make sure to torch the uni till the edges are slightly burned in order to further release the aroma.




Top with the other half of the buttery and airy brioche bun before serving. It's a pretty delicate burger so do not press it down like a hearty beef burger. 




The cook-off was a success. It doesn't matter who makes the best burger, it's the process that brings the most fun of it. But of course all these delicious creations were definitely a big plus of the event. Happy tummy indeed.

2 comments:

  1. All the burger creations sounds delicious! And I like the brioche buns that made the burgers petite-looking...more like sliders? No? :)

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    Replies
    1. I love brioche buns!! Too bad I can find it easily in Taiwan, otherwise I can make even more variations and have a feast at home!

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