Giovonni Gillespie's Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna

Recipes

Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna

By Giovonni Gillespie

Giovonni Gillespie doesn’t consider himself a chef. The recipes that Speed Queen Bar-B-Que have become known for come from the family matriarch, the Queen – Betty Gillespie. It was her cooking and quick service that gave Speed Queen its name. Her son goes so far as to say that everything he knows about cooking – “pretty much my primary source of all the things that I know about anything” – is his mother, who passed away in 2010. Gillespie and his sister now run this restaurant that started back in 1956. His involvement began when he was quite small. “I was basically my mom’s grunt. All the peeling, all the picking and the washing and the mixing – that was my job and just being there watching that stuff,” he says.

He’s eaten his share of BBQ over the years. Not so much anymore. “It’s like if you work in a pizza joint, you don’t eat much pizza. Every so often, I'll be cooking [BBQ] like, wow, that looks really good. I'll take it home to my kids or I'll take it to some of my friends for them to try.”

Fish is another story. It’s a dinner staple. The ahi tuna recipe is “one we’ve been making a long time,” he says. “My kids crave it.” Cooking fish has its own set of rules. “Don’t expect it to cook like a steak or a piece of chicken,” he says. “You’ve got to cook it really quick. It’ll burn up on you, it’ll fall apart. It won’t be any good. The fish continues to cook off the fire. With the ahi, you only want it to cook for a minute, like 90 seconds. That’s it.”

Ingredients

Serves 4

3-4 russet potatoes, medium

4 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

9-ounce bag of fresh spinach

1/4 cup peanut oil or other high smoke point oil

1/4 cup coarse black pepper

4 6-ounce Ahi tuna steaks, about 1-inch thick

1/2 cup Asian sweet chili sauce*

Instructions

Peel the russet potatoes and cut them into medium chunks. Put the potatoes into a medium saucepot, cover with cold water and add salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender, approximately 20-30 minutes.

While the potatoes are simmering, add the garlic and olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Warm the garlic just until it’s fragrant - do not brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Pat the tuna steaks dry and lightly salt on both sides. Add the coarse black pepper to a wide, shallow bowl. Press the tuna steaks into the pepper to coat both sides and the edges, then set aside.

Finish the potatoes at this point. Drain, return to the pot and stir in the butter, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Note that they will be lumpy.

Heat a cast-iron or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Add the peanut oil and let it get very hot. Cook two tuna steaks at a time, only 30 seconds on each side for rare doneness. Remove them from the pan, let them rest and slice before serving.

While the tuna is resting, return the skillet with the olive oil and garlic to medium heat. Add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir just until the spinach is wilted.

To plate, layer the potatoes, then the spinach and top with the sliced Ahi. Drizzle with sweet chili sauce or serve the sauce on the side.

*Sweet chili sauce can be used as is or in two of my favorite variations. You can use a small blender and add hot pepper flakes to make it spicier, or blend 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce with 1/4 cup mango. You could also try peaches, blackberries or pineapple. This can be done ahead of time and you can refrigerate the sauce until you’re ready to use it.

Bio

Giovonni Gillespie is the proud second-generation owner of Speed Queen Bar-B-Que, founded by his mother, Betty Gillespie, in 1956. The foundation of this iconic restaurant is its family recipes and – as the name suggests – its speedy service. The lifelong Wisconsinite lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Laura and three children – Lindsey, Riley and Giovonni.

Giovonni Gillespie

Speed Queen Bar-B-Que Inc.

Giovonni Gillespie

Speed Queen Bar-B-Que Inc.

About Speed Queen Bar-B-Que Inc.

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