I wanted to figure out what kind of bubbly would be the best buddy for bluefin tuna, so I dove right in. First, I went to the fish market and grabbed a nice piece of bluefin tuna. It looked fresh and I knew it would be perfect for my little experiment.
Back home, I decided to try two different ways of eating it – raw as sashimi and seared like a steak. I thought, “Why not cover all the bases, right?” For the sashimi, I sliced the tuna thinly and laid it out all pretty on a plate. It looked good enough to eat right away, but I held myself back because the champagne was chilling.
When it came to searing the tuna, I heated up some oil in a pan and cooked the tuna for just a minute on each side. I wanted that perfect rare center, you know? After that, I sliced it up and put it on another plate. Now the fun part – picking the champagnes. I chose a regular brut Champagne and a ros� Champagne. I had read somewhere that both could work, but I wanted to see for myself.
Trying the Champagnes
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Brut Champagne with Sashimi
I took a bite of the sashimi and then a sip of the brut Champagne. The bubbles kind of danced around with the tuna, and it was pretty good. The crispness of the Champagne cut through the fattiness of the tuna nicely.
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Ros� Champagne with Seared Tuna
Next, I tried the seared tuna with the ros� Champagne. This was a whole different experience. The ros� had a bit more body to it, and the slightly fruity taste went really well with the seared crust of the tuna. It was like they were made for each other.
After going back and forth between the two, I decided that both pairings were winners, but for different reasons. The brut Champagne was great with the raw tuna, keeping things light and fresh. But that ros� with the seared tuna? That was something special. The extra bit of flavor in the ros� really complemented the cooked tuna.
I also picked up some wines from Spain and Portugal, labeled Alvarinho and Albari�o. The bottles said the salty minerality and acidity could work with tuna, too. So I chilled those down and gave them a try with both the sashimi and the seared tuna. They were surprisingly good. The wines had this crispness that really highlighted the tuna’s flavor without overpowering it.
So, there you have it. Whether you like your bluefin tuna raw or cooked, there’s a bubbly or wine out there that’ll make it taste even better. Don’t be afraid to try different things and see what you like best. That’s what I did, and let me tell you, it was a delicious experiment!
