Today we are showcasing a particularly elegant preparation for tuna or swordfish. The key ingredient is pomegranate syrup, as it is mainly used in Turkey (“Nar ekşisi”) for various dishes. Unlike grenadine, this syrup is very thick and dark and tastes sweet and very sour at the same time.
There are numerous extremely cheap products that can be kept almost forever but actually contain very little pomegranate juice. It is better to buy a higher quality product if you can get it.
To make a marinade, mix pomegranate syrup with a little olive oil, finely grated garlic, a little ground black pepper and, above all, plenty of cinnamon powder. This may sound odd, but it is a sensational combination of flavors.

Mix everything together thoroughly, then add chopped coriander. You can also use the stems at this point.

If you are preparing swordfish, you should cut steaks about 2 cm thick, for tuna about 3 cm. The fish steaks are turned in the marinade and then placed in the fridge for at least 2 hours. More time is better and we do this in the morning so that the fish can marinate for 9 or 10 hours before dinner.

We quickly make a dressing from equal parts olive oil, pomegranate syrup and chopped coriander leaves and set it aside for later.
Then we take care of the congenial side dish: braised fennel. This preparation is also very simple, but complex in flavor and extraordinarily elegant.
Cut a thin layer off the hard base of the fennel bulbs – they should still hold together. Brown spots on the outermost layer are also cut off thinly if necessary. Remove the stalks and use them for vegetable stock, but separate the fennel greens and put them to one side.
Then cut each fennel bulb crosswise into three slices of approximately the same thickness. If you work carefully, the pieces will not fan out.

Place each of these pieces on a cutting surface and cut in half so that each bulb has been divided into six pieces.
Heat plenty of olive oil with a little coarse sea salt over a medium-high heat in as large a frying pan as possible, then carefully place the fennel pieces in it.

The fennel roasts for at least 5 minutes. It should turn a rich brown color, only then are the pieces carefully turned over. This is best done with a spoon and fork. You have to work carefully here, otherwise the pieces will fall apart. If smaller pieces come loose and cook faster than the rest, it is best to remove them from the pan and add them again later.

It may well take 20 minutes until the fennel is evenly and well browned on all sides. The intermediate result should look like this:

Now add finely sliced garlic, chopped fennel greens and coarsely chopped dill and carefully spread over the fennel.

A little liquid is needed to finish cooking the fennel. This could be water, but we recommend vermouth, the taste of which not only harmonizes perfectly with fish, but also with fennel. THE vermouth for cooking is Noilly Prat from Southern France and this drink is sure to end up predominantly in pots and pans. We clearly recommend always having a bottle in the kitchen.
Sprinkle over the fennel and cook on a low heat with the lid on for a further 10 minutes or until a fork easily slides into the hardest part.
The fish is prepared during this time – the process is super quick.
It is essential to use a non-stick pan. It must be hot because the fish is fried very briefly. However, it must not be too hot either, otherwise the pomegranate syrup in the marinade will caramelize too much and burn.
Swordfish needs to cook longer than tuna, so it needs a little less heat. Our induction stove has levels 1 – 10 (plus an extreme power level). Level 7 is the right setting for swordfish. Level 8 for tuna.
We take the fish steaks out of the marinade and leave everything on that doesn’t drip off. Then we briefly sear them, turning them only once. Swordfish gets just under 2 minutes per side (please pay attention to the thickness of the steaks indicated below, only then will this time be correct). Tuna is cooked for 40 seconds on each side (it is then only very delicately warmed at the core, i.e. almost raw).
Important: The fish must be removed from the pan immediately afterwards, as it will continue to cook, if only because of the heat it has absorbed. We therefore serve it straight away on plates that have been preheated in the oven (50° Celsius is always the right temperature).
The fish is served with braised fennel and a little of the prepared dressing.

Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients ( for 4 people):
For the fish:
4 steaks of tuna (approx. 3 cm thick) or swordfish (approx. 2 cm thick), each weighing 200 g
4 tbsp pomegranate syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely grated
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp black pepper from the mill
4 tbsp coriander leaves and stems, chopped
For the dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate syrup
3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
For the braised fennel:
4 fennel bulbs
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp coarse sea salt
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 tbsp dill plus the fennel greens, chopped
Black pepper from the mill
4 tbsp Noilly Prat (alternatively water)