Forget the burgers!
Try barbecue tuna

Tired of the same old hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken on the grill? Tuna is a healthy and different alternative. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.'s chef Johnny Vinczencz, the owner of the Johnny V restaurant, is affectionately dubbed the Caribbean Cowboy for his mixing if Southwestern flavors with those of the Caribbean. Try his recipe for barbecue tuna with all the fixin's.

Barbecue Spiked Grilled Rare Tuna, Fresh Crab and Rock Shrimp Potato Salad, Mango Barbecue Sauce, Red Chili Baby Corn, Star Fruit Salsa

Barbecue Spice for Tuna
2 tablespoons red chili
2 tablespoons ancho chili
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin

Star Fruit Salsa
1 each star fruit
1/2 ounce red onion
8 leaves cilantro
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh red pepper
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 pinch red chili
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Slice ripe star fruit, combine all ingredients in a steel bowl, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Crab and Rock Shrimp Potato Salad
2 ounces fresh crabmeat
2 ounces fresh peeled and cooked rock shrimp
1 peeled and diced yukon potatoes
1 ounce fresh red pepper (small dice)
1 ounce fresh green pepper (small dice)
1/2 ounce red onion (small dice)
1 ounce celery (small dice)
1/2 ounce green onion (small dice)
2 ounce reduced shrimp stock
2.5 ounces fresh mayonnaise
7 fresh cilantro leaves (minced)
5 fresh basil (minced)
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

In salted boiling water blanch potatoes until soft, a bit more then a normal potato salad so they will blend well with the seafood. Stain and cool to room temperature. Add all remaining ingredients, season to taste.

Mango Barbecue Sauce Saute
2 slices smoked apple bacon
1/2 small Spanish onion
3 cloves garlic
Fruit from four mangoes peeled and diced
1 ounce chipotle chilies (canned in Adobo)
1.5 ounces molasses
1 ounce good mustard
8 cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon red chili
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
8 ounces orange juice
1 ounce brown sugar
2.5 ounces rice wine vinegar

Simmer all ingredients on low heat for 1 hour, when sauce has reached desired thickness, puree with buerre mixer or Cuisinart until smooth.

Cooking and plating
Place barbecue spice in a steel bowl and add 2 ounces canola oil to make a paste, trim tuna and cut into six ounce blocks. Marinate in spice with one peeled jumbo shrimp per person to be used as garnish. Heat grill or grill pan, and grill shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes until cooked. Grill tuna one minute on each side, remove from heat. Mirror plate with 2 ounces of barbecue sauce, place 3 ounces potato salad in a ring mold in center of plate.
Slice tuna into six slices and layer around potato salad, quickly heat pre-roasted baby corn in a skillet with butter, a pinch of red chili, salt and pepper, Place corn on plate and shrimp on top of potato salad. Place the star fruit salsa on the center of the tuna. Garnish with chip and fresh chive.

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