Don’t ignore albacore

The single most predictable culinary objective of anyone visiting the Pacific Northwest is to “order the salmon.” But from mid-July through September, savvy diners know that a wise and delectable alternative is local, line-caught albacore.

Although albacore fishing has been a dynamic part of

the West Coast fishing industry since the late 19th century, its complexion has been altered considerably by recent food trends.

In those early years, the coastal tuna canneries hummed with the activity of workers cleaning, deboning and packing precooked albacore into cans. These days, the fr

esh and frozen market has become a more viable business.

And so, every summer, as schools of albacore migrate from the coastal waters off Northern California toward British Columbia, the regional fishing fleets seize the opportunity to bring fresh catches ashore.

Now is definitely the

time to enjoy. Cooking albacore is really pretty straightforward. First, be sure you’re working with outstanding fish. It’s gotta be fresh!

Since albacore has a tendency to dry out quickly, all albacore cooks agree it should be cooked just until it becomes firm to the touch. Some like to leave the center pink, while others take it just slightly beyond that.

It helps to know a little about the different cuts:

Whole loin: Each albacore has four wedge-shaped loins that radiate from a central backbone. They taper in thickness, thinning as they approach the tail, and should be totally boneless. They’re usually sold skinless, but sometimes one side still has the skin on. If so, cook it skin-side down.

Whole loins are a delight to cook with. Think pork tenderloin, only juicier and more tender.

Loin cuts: Cross-cut sections of the loins. Like the whole loins, they are boneless and trimmed of the dark meat, which tends to have a stronger flavor.

Steaks: Cross-cut sections of the fish, which includes the backbone and dark meat located near the backbone. The dark meat tends to be slightly stronger in flavor than the light meat, so you may want to remove it before cooking, and freeze for later when you are making a seafood stew.

Some of my best summer grills have been centered on fresh, local, line-caught Pacific albacore.

Whether loosely draped in foil and poached in wine, lemon and herbs, or cooked straight over the coals after a brief stint in a teriyaki-style marinade (see my “Harry’s Back” sidebar for details), those exquisitely lean loins always turn out firm yet tender and flavorful.

For a more indirect approach to grilling, you could follow one of my evening delights from a while back. I fashioned a shallow roasting pan out of heavy-duty foil.

While the grill was heating up, I finely chopped half a Walla Walla sweet onion, half a rib of celery, about six plump mushrooms, a backyard tomato and a fresh Serrano chile. I tossed all of those ingredients with some fresh corn kernels I’d just sliced off the cob, a bit of olive oil, a healthy pinch of salt, and an aggressive cranking of black peppercorns.

I lay the albacore pieces in the center of the foil pan, rubbed them down with some olive oil, salted and peppered them, then arranged my little fresh salsa combo all around the fish, letting a little of it hang out on top to flavor the tuna from all angles. After about 40 minutes of indirect heat, dinner was done.

Grilled albacore in honey-soy marinade

4 (1-inch thick) albacore steaks (about 8 ounces each)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the albacore steaks in a large baking dish or resealable plastic bag. Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger, honey and olive oil and pour over the tuna. Refrigerate for several hours to marinate.

When ready to cook, prepare a hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the grate with a bit of vegetable oil. (Ideally, you should use a special grill grate designed with narrower slots or holes in it for fish and cut up vegetables, but because albacore is so firm, it will do pretty well on a standard grate).

Remove the albacore steaks from the marinade and drain slightly. Place the albacore on the hot fire and grill for about 3 minutes per side, or until the fish is just becoming firm and turning opaque when prodded with a fork. (Note: Do not overcook; for “medium-rare,” the inside should still be pink; for “medium,” the inside should just be turning to gray).

Tasty options: Marinate some mushrooms and whole green onions along with the albacore. Grill them while grilling the albacore.

Beyond thoughtful cooking, albacore tuna doesn’t need any special treatment to be delicious. A simple grilling is most certainly an honorable and healthy way to prepare this seasonal delight.

But on special occasions, I tend to take this fish in the direction of the ocean from which it came, the Pacific, as in Pacific Rim cuisine.

This recipe, which I created for my newest cookbook, “Oregon Hazelnut Country — the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” is a spin-off from a classic beurre blanc, which is a reduction of white wine and/or vinegar and shallots into which a large amount of butter is whisked, one dollop at a time, until a creamy-yet-tangy sauce is formed.

The result? Heaven!

Beurre blanc’s zippy yet velvety character makes it a perfect compliment to grilled albacore, particularly when it’s been kissed with the flavors of Hawaii and beyond.

Grilled albacore with spicy black bean garlic butter sauce

2 pounds of Pacific albacore

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon finely minced sweet onion

1 teaspoon peeled finely shredded fresh ginger

2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce

1 teaspoon ponzu sauce (a citrus seasoned soy sauce; Kikkoman makes one), or regular soy sauce

1 teaspoon black bean garlic sauce

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sweet onion and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the chili-garlic sauce, ponzu sauce, black bean garlic sauce, and the wine. Simmer until reduced by half, which will take about 5 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. The sauce may be prepared ahead to this point up to 24 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.

When ready to cook, prepare a hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the grate with a bit of vegetable oil. Remove the albacore from the marinade and drain slightly. Place the albacore on grate over the hot fire, close the grill and cook for about 3 minutes per side (if cooking a portion a whole loin, as opposed to steaks, you should cook it on 3 or 4 sides), or until the fish is just becoming firm and turning opaque when prodded with a fork. Do not overcook; for “medium-rare,” the inside should still be pink; for “medium,” the inside should just be turning to gray.

When the albacore is nearly done, you can bring the sauce to completion: Bring the reduced sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to low, then gradually whisk in the chilled pieces of butter one or two at a time. Keep whisking steadily until all of the butter has been incorporated. Keep the sauce over very low heat (or in the top of a double boiler set over hot water) or the sauce will eventually separate.

To serve: Spoon a portion of the hot sauce onto the center of each dinner plate. Place a serving of the albacore on top of the sauce, then arrange a serving of the potatoes on one side and the Summer Vegetable Saute on the other. Drizzle a little more sauce over the albacore and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

This makes a great accompaniment to your grilled albacore!

Summer vegetable saute

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup blanched green beans (pick very slender and young ones)

2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion

Freshly roasted and coarsely chopped hazelnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter in a skillet. Add the corn and saute just until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the green beans, bell pepper and sweet onion and continue to saute until the beans are heated through. Add salt and pepper and set aside.

Makes about 2 1/4 cups

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, artist, and author. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.