#mosciame

[ristorantesangiorgiogenova]

Ristorante San Giorgio Genova Mosciame di tonno cotto a bassa temperatura #jeremyscott #genova #food #uovo #mosciame #tonno

[paolorobaudi]

#mosciame #saidicosaparlo?#orgoglioitaliano #tuttiglialtri #sucks

[thehandsomesalami]

Mosciame

This was a fun one. 

Ever since I’ve started participating in Charcutepalooza, I’ve been on the hunt for more projects.  Whether it was infusing my own vodka, rigging up a smoker out of a kettle grill for making bacon or just throwing another brisket in the brine to make a pastrami as well as a corned beef, I’m always trying to push myself a little further.

So, naturally, when I came across a recipe for fennel-cured salmon while flipping through Ruhlman’s book, I knew I had found my next project.  It brought to mind something I had enjoyed many years ago on Christmas Eve – salt-cured tuna (known as mojama in Spain or mosciame in Sicily).  It was very much like prosciutto – similar texture, but with a much darker appearance and obviously a fishier taste.  I had it sliced thin and drizzled with a little olive oil - it was delicious (or at least that’s what I remembered).

I knew I had to do it.  I had to try to make this.  It was on!

I visited my local fishmonger and discussed what I needed.  The staff was incredibly helpful and asked me to come back the next morning so they could cut exactly what I needed from the fresh tuna that they would have on hand.  They cut the tuna exactly how I wanted it, giving me a section of the loin which was about an inch thick and six inches long.  It looked amazing!  It wasn’t that big – a little less than two pounds. I couldn’t wait to take it home and turn it into something delicious. 

Admittedly, locating a recipe for salt-cured tuna wasn’t easy.  I spent a lot of time on the internet, looking for detailed recipes or instructions; the best I came up with was this.   It was a little vague but, with the memory of salt-cured fishy deliciousness from years ago as my guide, I decided to press ahead.

First I covered the tuna in sea salt, placed it in an airtight Tupperware container, and let it hang out in the fridge for two days. 

Then I took it out, rinsed off all the salt, and filled the Tupperware with cold water before sticking it back in the refrigerator for another two days.  The recipe instructed me to change the water in the container three times a day, so I made sure to do that and after two days I took it out, dried it off and hung it in the refrigerator for a week.

And this is where I encountered yet another conundrum.  Not only did I have to figure out a way to suspend the tuna in the refrigerator for a week, but I had to somehow convince the ragazza that this was not, in her words, “totally horrifying.”  I promised her that the end result would be delicious and that the salt cure would keep the fridge from “stinking to high heaven” (again, her words, not mine). I ended up running some wire through the tuna and hung it under a shelf as securely as I could, where it stayed for the remainder of the week.

After a week of staring at the tuna every time I opened the refrigerator, I finally cut it down for a taste.  Even with my meat slicer, I couldn’t get the slices quite thin enough for my liking, but I did my best and finally was ready to try my creation. 

I have to admit, it’s definitely an acquired taste.  And maybe it wasn’t as delicious as I had remembered – but it looks pretty good and it tastes even better (at least according to the ragazza and me) and I think it’s going to be a great addition to my charcuterie repertoire.