To honour Alto’s 100th year of winemaking history, chef Jacques Erasmus, of Hemelhuijs restaurant, has created a series of five delicious recipes, each paired with an Alto wine.

So far, we’ve created three stunning dishes, Beef Carpaccio with Rosemary Straw Fries, Crispy Pork Belly with Vermouth-Soused Prunes and Karoo Lamb with Rocket Butter. This fourth recipe is this series is a seafood dish that celebrates fresh tuna, with an Asian influence.

Elevate your Home Dinner Party with Alto Wines

This tuna recipe is extremely versatile and, as a bonus, is really easy to prepare. Although seared fish may seem like a light choice for cool wintertime, this version is packed with flavour and the miso-caramel aubergine adds a wonderfully warm and umami-packed element to the dish. It’s the ideal party dish that works across different seasons.

Chef Jaques Erasmus, “This tuna dish is a favourite because it’s an easy dish to prepare and makes for a perfect lighter dinner main course for a party.”

Serve this dish with Alto Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has an intense plum-red colour and has aromas of dark fruit, cedarwood and spice with dark chocolate and a hint of minerals. It has a deep, rich and intense palate with a great balance between structure and finesse and fine-grained tannins.

“Fish with red wine are not always a good match but the meatiness of tuna and the umami structure of the dish work well with the body of this wine,” chef Jaques Erasmus.

Seared Tuna with Miso-Caramel Aubergine

Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Miso Caramel Aubergine

2 medium-sized aubergine, cut into slices lengthways (not too thick)
olive oil for brushing

60 g sugar
60 g red miso paste
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh ginger, minced
150 ml hot water
¼ C (60 ml) canola oil

Seared Tuna

600 g fresh tuna loin
2 tsp (10 ml) crushed white pepper

To Serve 

10 cm daikon, finely shredded/matchsticks
2-3 radishes, finely sliced
a few drops of sesame oil
sea salt flakes to serve

Miso Caramel Aubergine

Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.

Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and place onto a roasting tray.  Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes until cooked and soft and then remove and set aside.

Heat the sugar on low heat in a saucepan until melted, swirl the pan every so often but try to avoid stirring. Allow the sugar to colour to a medium caramel.  Add the miso paste, ginger, water and canola oil and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the aubergine slices.

Seared Tuna

Rub the tuna with a little oil and the white pepper and sear on all sides in a pan over high heat. Finish the tuna for 8-10 minutes in the oven, depending on the thickness of the loin.  The tuna should be rare. Remove from the heat and cut into thick slices. Toss the prepared daikon and radish in a few drops of sesame oil and season to taste.

Serve the tuna on top the aubergine with the miso-caramel dressing and top with the dressed daikon and radish.

Two handy tips to remember when making this recipe – overcooked tuna is dry and tough, so make sure you undercook rather than overcook the tuna. Also, source the best quality, sustainably fished tuna that you can find.

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Competition - Enter to win

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Celebrate Alto’s 100th year of winemaking history and enter to win prizes valued at a total of R24 000!

Grand prize: Win an exclusive culinary experience at Hemelhuijs restaurant in Cape Town for you and nine of your favourite dinner party guests. Enjoy a stunning gourmet meal prepared by chef Jacques Erasmus, paired with a selection of Alto wines, valued at R10 000!

Four Additional Prizes: stand in line to win 1 of 4 special Alto 100-year celebratory wooden cases containing 5 wines (Rouge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Blend and MPHS) valued at R3 000 each.

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