CONFIT

Large Eggplant Confit

What is confit?  It is a cooking technique by immersing the food in oil or other fat and cook over low heat.

Confit (/kɒnfi/, French pronunciation:  [kɔ̃fi]) comes from the French word confire which means literally "to preserve,"^[1][2] a confit being any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period of time as a method of preservation.^[1]

Confit is a cooking term describes when food is cooked in grease, oil or sugar water (syrup), at a lower temperature, as opposed to deep-frying. While deep frying typically takes place at temperatures of 325–450 °F (163–232 °C), confit preparations are done at a much lower temperature, such as an oil temperature of around 200 °F (93 °C), sometimes even cooler. The term is usually used in modern cuisine to mean long slow cooking in oil or fat at low temperatures, many having no element of preservation such as dishes like confit potatoes. (Wikipedia)

Prepared and cooked tuna confit, but it did not work out very well.  After reading and learnt a lot from the literature, I know now what I have done wrong.

Confit Yellowfin Tuna in Oil and Fresh Fennel.

This tuna confit is looking good, but it was uncooked almost raw, and at the end, I had to save it for simply pan-fried tuna, then it was eatable.  Not the best but healthy enough to be eaten and mixed with pasta and vegetables.

To Confit, there are steps that you may have to follow religiously.  You cannot skip any because you don't want to do it.  E.g., I will just put in warm oil, and I know it is going to be OK.

A good confit needs correct and precise technique and execution.

Confit Tuna, a Salmon, has the same method.   And this what I learnt how to confit tuna properly.

Confit Yellowfin Tuna

Two fresh yellowfin tuna
Rub with salt and spices

Place in a deep container, make sure the tuna sits in one layer

Add the herbs, cover the dish and refrigerate for one hour

Remove from refrigerator, transfer to a small pot, big enough to hold the two tuna

Add oil to cover the tuna, about two cups

Bring oil to 63-66 degrees C and poach the tuna for 8-10 minutes. Turn off heat and let it the tuna cooling in the oil.  (you do need a cooking thermometer to read the temperature of the oil)

You could not afford to confit tuna in hot oil, it ruined the fish.

I shall do it again and follow the technique correctly.
I like the idea of confit the tuna and serving it.  I would love to have the yellowfin tuna confit served as a salad, to accompany my home baking bread: Fougasse.

Vegetable Confit, such as potato, eggplants or even capsicum could be very delicious.
I did confit eggplant (Imam Baaldi), and it was so good, we enjoyed the eggplants confit indeed.

Eggplant Confit - Imam Baaldi

It keeps well, refrigerated.  Recipe for this confit, please look on my older post and type: the priest has fainted.

A delicious dish, Potato Confit, it's soft, succulent and perfectly seasoned. The ground rosemary and bay leaves flavoured the potatoes very well.  Fresh vegetable oil was used instead of olive oil.

Sliced Potato Confit

Susy Potato Confit
Peel, wash and pat them dry, and slice thinly

Sliced potatoes and the seasoning

Ground Dried Herbs-Rosemary and Bay 

Rub with salt, place them in a shallow cooking pot, sprinkle with ground rosemary and bay leaves,  add in oil to cover the potatoes.

Without the lid - stay open.

Put on the stove to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes enough to heat the oil to a warm stage not too hot.

Reduce the heat to a very low, add a sprig of rosemary and keep the pot open - without the lid, continue on cooking for 30 minutes

The last cooking stage
with the lid on, slightly ajar

Place the lid on but slightly ajar, and cook for 18 minutes further. Take off from the heat, let the potatoes stay in the oil, until serving time.

Potatoes Confit 

It was a successful confit,  the potatoes were soft, succulent, well seasoned and looked beautiful.

Confit is one of the best cooking techniques, it suits me very well as the gentle process of cooking over the low heat imparts only a very delicate smell.  The kitchen stays fresh and clean without any spitting of the cooking oil.


We enjoyed the potato confit and the deliciousness. A simple but scrumptious dinner we had.

Potato Confit and Garnishes

Confit vegetable seems more forgiving than the fish confit. With the fish, if the oil is too hot, you could see the albumin oozing out looking rotten and unappetizing, the texture and the taste are not acceptable.

The next confit I would do is the duck confit, maybe not so soon, but I will show you how to do.  It cooks in the oven instead of on the cooktop. The duck confit keeps well, as we know that a confit is a form of preserving.

I think it is going to be fun.  Stay Tuned.


Until Next Time
Susy