Neil Perry’s seared tuna with creamy mushroom sauce

Tuna is packed full of flavour and can handle this cream sauce with ease. I like the steaks rare, so I just sear them and rest them in a low oven while making the sauce. Buttery potato purée and some boiled broccolini dressed with olive oil and lemon juice are the only accompaniments it needs.

Seared tuna with creamy mushroom sauce.Credit: William Meppem. Styling by Hannah Meppem

Serves 4

4 x 160g tuna steaks
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil
small handful of finely chopped chives

For the sauce
4 tbsp butter
4 eschalots (French shallots), thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil (just a dash)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
½ cup sliced oyster mushrooms
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ cup brandy
1 cup pure cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 70C (90C conventional) to rest fish.

2. Place the fish on a board, then season with salt.

3. Position a large, heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Once it’s hot, drizzle the fish with olive oil, place the fish in the pan and sear well on both sides (about 2 minutes on each side). Transfer to a plate and place in the oven to rest and keep warm while you make the sauce. You want the tuna rare, but warmed through.

4. Return the frying pan to a medium-high heat and add the butter and eschalots, along with a dash of olive oil. When the eschalots are starting to soften, add the garlic and a good pinch of salt and keep cooking until the garlic softens, too. Add all the mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few moments to soften, then stir in the mustard.

5. Now add the brandy and carefully set it alight, allowing it to flame until all the alcohol is cooked off. Pour in the cream and let it simmer and reduce until the sauce is thick. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed, then take off the heat and stir through the lemon juice.

6. To serve, place each of the steaks on a plate, spoon over the sauce, sprinkle with the chives and finish with a grind of pepper.

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