Tuna Reverie | Roasted oriental pork belly with sashimi, tartare tartalet and seared tuna marrow

A recipe for Gijs Hoevenaars

Captura De Pantalla 2025 10 07 155138
Mediterranean Expert

Ingredients

Brine

  • 1 L water
  • 30 g colored salt
  • 1 sliced shallot
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Pork Belly

  • 100 g pork belly

Marinade

  • 100 ml poultry stock
  • 50 g soy sauce
  • 50 g ketjap manis
  • 1 lemongrass stalk
  • 2 star anise
  • 3 cardamom pods
  • 1 cm fresh ginger
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ red chili pepper

Avocado Cream

  • 112 g olive oil
  • 100 g milk
  • 72 g cream
  • 10 g vinegar
  • 2 g xanthan gum
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 20 g blanched spinach
  • Salt and pepper

Citrus–Soy Vinaigrette

  • 100 g mirin
  • 100 g sake
  • 50 g ponzu
  • 1 chopped shallot
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 piece fresh ginger
  • 1 lemongrass stalk
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • 75 g soy sauce
  • 30 g lime juice

Teriyaki Gel

  • 30 g ginger
  • 3 lemongrass stalks
  • 20 g galangal
  • 4 red chilies
  • 6 shallots
  • 1 garlic bulb
  • 5 kaffir lime leaves
  • 5 star anise
  • 18 allspice berries
  • 10 cardamom pods
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 salmon heads
  • 1 L soy sauce
  • 500 g ketjap manis
  • 2 L poultry stock

Yuzu gel

  • 500 g orange juice
  • 300 g yuzu juice
  • 18 g agar agar
  • 60 g ginger syrup
  • 80 g sugar

Five-Spice Mix

  • 30 g black peppercorns
  • 100 g cinnamon sticks
  • 100 g cardamom pods
  • 100 g star anise
  • 100 g coriander seeds

Creamy Coconut Curry

  • 500 g water
  • 1½ cans coconut milk
  • 1 onion
  • ½ garlic bulb
  • 400 g pandan rice
  • ½ pandan leaf
  • 2 lemongrass stalks
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • 4 coriander roots
  • 2 red chilies
  • 3 cm galangal
  • 3 cm ginger
  • 2 shallots
  • 3 cloves
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 lime

Production

1. Roasted Oriental Pork Belly with Balfegó Tuna Sashimi, Avocado Cream, Teriyaki Gel

Brine:

  • Bring all ingredients to a boil, then let cool. Add 1 kg pork belly and brine for 16 hours.
Pork Belly:
  • Remove the pork belly from the brine and pat dry. Sear the fat side until golden brown, then turn and sear the other side.
Marinade:
  • Roughly chop the shallot, garlic, ginger, and chili. Sauté them in a pan with lemongrass, then add star anise and cardamom. Deglaze with ketjap, soy sauce, and stock. Reduce slightly and season to taste.
    Once cooled, vacuum-seal the pork belly with the marinade and cook sous-vide for 18 hours at 68°C (154°F).
  • Press the cooked pork belly under weight until set. Slice and sear until golden before serving.
Assembly:
  • Cut a strip of akami tuna and slice into sashimi pieces. Lightly glaze with a touch of soy or teriyaki and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place on top of the roasted pork belly. Pipe dots of teriyaki gel and avocado cream.
Avocado Cream:
  • Blend all ingredients in a Thermomix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Citrus–Soy Vinaigrette:
  • Sauté the shallot, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. Deglaze with mirin and sake, then reduce slightly. Add lime leaves, soy sauce, and lime juice. Simmer, season, and strain. Finish with a drizzle of oil.
Teriyaki Gel:
  • Fry salmon heads in a layer of oil until browned. Add finely chopped herbs and spices, sauté well, then deglaze with soy sauce, ketjap, and stock. Simmer for 1 hour, then strain. Thicken with agar agar and blend until smooth to create a glossy gel.

2. Tartelette with Tuna Belly Tartare (Harakana) and Yuzu Gel

Tartare:
  • Finely dice tuna belly and season with salt, pepper, and teriyaki sauce.
  • Bake tartlet shells from filo pastry and fill with the tartare.

Yuzu Gel:

  • Bring all ingredients to a boil and let set. Blend until smooth.

3. 5-Spice Tuna with Creamy Coconut Curry

Five-Spice Mix:

  • Grind all ingredients to a fine powder.
  • Cut tuna into portions, coat in the five-spice mix, and sear briefly on all sides.

Creamy Coconut Curry

  • Blend the onion, garlic, pandan leaf, lemongrass, chilies, lime leaves, galangal, shallots, cloves, star anise, and coriander roots with a little oil until smooth.
  • Sauté the paste in a pan, add the rice, and toast lightly. Deglaze with water and coconut milk and simmer for 25 minutes.
  • Strain, season with salt, pepper, lime zest, and juice. Add 1 g agar per 100 ml, bring to a boil, and once cooled, blend into a smooth cream.

4. Roasted Tuna Marrow Marinated with Ponzu

Clean the tuna marrow, roast briefly, and marinate with ponzu. Season with salt and pepper.