Jonathan Chovancek, co-proprietor of Bittered Sling Extracts and executive chef of Café Medina incorporates earthy and smoky Bittered Sling bitters into this tuna recipe for an unexpectedly flavourful dish.
Pre heat the oven to 400ºF.
Wash the Hubbard squash well and cut it in half. Remove the seeds and place the squash cut side-down on a roasting pan and cook for 60 to 90 minutes, until squash is soft like room temperature butter. Allow to cool to room temperature and remove the skin.
Meanwhile, sauté the onions and garlic with generous amounts of sea salt in 1 cup of butter over medium-high heat. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the butter and add the remaining to the onion mixture.
Once melted, add the Moondog bitters and remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
In a blender, puree the squash with the Moondog onion butter until smooth. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and more bitters.
In a sauté pan melt the remaining butter. Season the tuna with sea salt and pan roast all sides briefly. Baste with the Lem-Marrakech bitters.
Remove the fish to a serving plate and pour the Lem-Marrakech butter over the fish. Serve warm on top of the squash puree and garnish with Delicata squash chips. (Slice them thin, season with salt and dehydrate until crispy!)
