Fresh tuna fish - Wood fired oven

The stage of preparation is simple and easy. After you’ve rinsed the fish, coat them with hot mustard on their surface, and internally, using a brush. Place the spices in a mortar and bash them well. This way, we’ll get all of their essential oils. Add the salt last. Season the fish with this mixture; add on its surface and into the cavity. Wrap the fish with five sheets of parchment paper, making a small package. Marinate the fish for 2-3 hours or until the oven is hot.

After wrapping the fish, preheat the traditional wood-fired oven. This way, there will be enough time for marinating the fish. This time, add less wood than usual to the traditional wood-fired oven. It’s not necessary to accumulate a lot of heat since the cooking time will be short. Firstly, place thin pieces of dry hardwood along with the kindling (alcohol-soaked cotton). Then, add thicker pieces of wood. Use dry pieces of wood to have a strong flame.

When the pieces of wood turn to embers, the oven is ready. Remove the embers from the chamber, and close the door to saturate the oven. When the temperature reaches 220⁰C (428⁰F), place the package with the fish inside the oven. You could wrap seasonal vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc) with parchment paper and cook them in the oven along with the fish. The cooking time is the same for both. Cook for 2 hours. Then, remove the packages from the oven. Wait for a few minutes, until they cool down, and serve.

Until the fish cool down, you have the time you need to prepare the dressing. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, and oregano, using a blender or a shaker. Split the fish in half, remove the central bone, and pour the dressing on top. You can use the same dressing for your cooked vegetables after you add a little salt first.

Good company and fine white wine are the secrets of success.

Happy cooking everyone!