3634. SEARED BACON-CRUSTED ALBACORE TENDERLOIN with POMEGRANATE REDUCTION

For the sauce:

2 cups red wine

1½ cups pomegranate juice

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the albacore:

1 2-inch-thick piece of albacore tuna loin per person. 

1 strip of apple wood-smoked bacon per piece of tuna. 

1 tablespoon (15 ml.) peanut oil. 

Watercress, radish sprouts, sunflower sprouts, or any other micro-green or spring salad mix that you like. 

White from one egg

For the sauce: Combine first three ingredients in a saucepan and reduce over a low flame to half its volume and set aside until ready to serve. When ready to serve, whisk in olive oil before drizzling over fish and greens.

For the albacore: In a cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook bacon strips until brown and crispy. Turn off the flame and keep the bacon fat in the pan; drain bacon in paper towels and set aside to cool. When bacon has cooled, break into pieces into a blender and blend at high speed until completely pulverized, then empty bacon onto a flat plate. In a bowl, beat the egg white then brush the sides of the albacore loin with egg white and gently roll in bacon, taking care to cover the sides of the loin with as many bacon bits as possible. Reserve remaining bacon bits. Turn your oven broiler to high and position the topmost rack about three to four inches from the top. Over a high flame, heat the cast-iron skillet that you cooked the bacon in, along with the reserved bacon fat, and gently place each albacore loin medallion into the skillet, then place the skillet into the oven. Broil for 3 minutes, remove the skillet and gently turn over albacore medallions, taking care not to knock off bacon bits. Place skillet back under broiler for 3 more minutes to sear the other side. Prepare individual serving plates with a small mound of micro-greens or salad mix and gently set one albacore medallion on each mound of greens. Whisk the olive oil into the pomegranate reduction and drizzle a little onto each medallion and mound of greens. Top off each medallion with the remaining reserved bacon bits and serve.

bacon recipe source: Victor Panichkul, The Taste of Oregon (@TasteofOregon), August 11, 2010