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Developed during Saint Peter’s COVID-19 closure in 2020, this tuna Wellington quickly became a standout. After showcasing its technical demands on MasterChef Australia, it remains a dish I’m proud of, and one that continues to appear both on the menu at Saint Peter and through Fish Butchery.
Ingredients | Serves 2
Tuna
- 1 tuna loin (approx. 10 oz)
- salt and pepper
- 3 egg yolks, beaten (for egg wash)
- Mushroom Duxelles
- 1 package of portobello mushrooms (approx. 2 lb.)
- 300 g ghee (approx. 7 oz)
- 3 brown onions, finely diced
- 1 head garlic, grated
- 1 bunch thyme, picked
- Salt flakes
- Cracked black pepper
Crêpes
- 2¾ oz butter
- 2 oz plain flour
- 2 oz buckwheat flour
- ⅛ oz salt
- 2 eggs
- 10 oz hoppy beer
- Sour Cream Pastry
- 14 oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- ¼ oz fine salt
- 10 oz cold butter
- 7 oz sour cream
- ¾ oz ice-cold water
Method
Mushroom Duxelles
Heat oven to 430°F. Quarter mushrooms by hand. Divide 200 g (7 oz) ghee between two trays and preheat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, season, and roast until caramelized, 10-15 minutes. Drain well.
Heat remaining ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and thyme, and cook until lightly colored, 5-6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until all liquid has reduced and the mixture begins to catch, about 10 minutes. Finely chop in a food processor while hot (do not purée) and chill.
Crêpes
Melt butter. Whisk flours and salt, then add eggs, beer and butter until smooth. Rest 30 minutes. Cook two thin crêpes in a lightly oiled pan and cool on baking paper.
Sour Cream Pastry
Pulse flour, salt and butter into coarse crumbs. Add sour cream and water, and pulse until just combined. Bring together by hand gently and chill 15 minutes.
Assembly
- Roll pastry to 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick, approx. 28-by-45 cm (11-by-18 inches). Lay crêpes overlapping on plastic wrap and spread with duxelles to 5 mm (¼ inch), slightly longer than the tuna. Season tuna, wrap tightly in crêpes, and plastic-wrap into a cylinder, then chill 30 minutes.
- Unwrap, brush pastry with egg wash, and roll tuna to enclose with minimal overlap. Seal seam, place seam-side down, fold in ends, and transfer to a lined tray. Brush with egg wash, chill 10 minutes, then brush again.
- Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches about 25°C (75°F). Rest 5 minutes. The tuna will finish around 38°C (105°F).
- Slice thickly and serve immediately.
