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When preparing and serving bluefin tuna, TJ Ott is a minimalist. The captain of the fishing boat Hot Tuna and mainstay of National Geographic Channel's unscripted Sunday hit "Wicked Tuna" prefers his tuna raw, thank you very much, with a little soy and wasabe on the side. But if he must apply heat, he does so sparingly. "What we like to do," explains Ott, a native of Broad Channel in Queens, N.Y., "is take probably inch and a half steaks and we'll coat it with sesame oil and then we'll coat them with some black and white sesame seed, put a little bit of sesame oil in the pan and get it really, really red hot and just sear it really quick on both sides." As for how quick, Ott says, "Oh, about a minute tops, depending on how hot the pan gets. Some people like to cook it through, but me personally, if I'm going to sear a piece of tuna – yellowfin, big eye or bluefin – basically black and blue is what we call it. The outside is seared and the inside is raw. That's how I like it." And serve it with a sauce on the side. "We'll make any kind of sauce," Ott says. "You know, wasabe and soy, obviously, but we make one sauce in particular we like to use. We use fresh ginger, pickled ginger, fresh lime juice, mayonnaise, sriracha, wasabe, soy and it just comes out wonderful." Of course, a great tuna dinner starts with great steaks, and Ott has his own tips on what to look for. "Color is extremely important, first and foremost," he says. "Oil, grease, obviously, and fat content. I mean, that's all the most important things right there, but color is very important, and I think color is also important when it comes to presentation in high-end sushi restaurants. You want to see that color. "You want it almost like a ruby, just a bright, vibrant red," he continues. "Purple is no good. Anytime it gets real dark like that, it generally means the meat is not soft; the meat is hard and kind of rubbery. So you really want just like a real nice crimson red and you want it to almost be translucent at the same time, where you know the texture is going to be perfect, the oil content, the fat content, it's got everything going for it." But be prepared to pay dearly for such a cut. "That's not necessarily easily accessible, tuna like that," Ott says. "It is hard to come by, especially in certain grocery stores because it's so expensive, it's so highly desired around the world. So if you're going to go to Stop and Shop to find a piece of prime tuna, the chances are slim to none. "But there are some gourmet markets in Manhattan and other high-volume places in Boston like Citarella, places like that, that carry bluefin steaks like that, big eye steaks. But you're going to pay $25-$35 a pound, so it's a unique market and it's something some people can't afford. There are alternatives – you know, good, fresh yellowfin and stuff like that. But the bluefin is where it's at." BY GEORGE DICKIE TJ Ott catches, sells and prepares a 'Wicked Tuna' BEST MAGIC MOVIES "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) The title character (Frank Morgan) demonstrates "the wonderful things he does" for Dorothy (Judy Garland) and company in this all-time classic. "Houdini" (1953) Though this is a very "Hollywood" take on the iconic illusionist's life, the charisma of co-stars and then-spouses Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh keeps it entertaining. "Mary Poppins" (1964) There's more than a little magic to the Disney classic about the nanny (Oscar winner Julie Andrews) who uses her parasol to fly. "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" (1964) Tony Randall is terrific as a circus overseer and several other characters, including magician Merlin. "Magic" (1978) A ventriloquist (Anthony Hopkins) turns lethal under the influence of his dummy. "The Witches of Eastwick" (1987) Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer play small-town sorceresses who use their powers to free themselves from a seductive stranger (Jack Nicholson). "Hocus Pocus" (1993) Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy play the reincarnations of executed witch siblings who generate new mayhem in contemporary Salem, Mass. "Practical Magic" (1998) The supernatural abilities of two sisters (Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman) mean trouble for the men in their lives. "Freaky Friday" (2003) This amusing Disney remake transfers the souls of a mother and daughter (Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan) into each other's bodies. "The Prestige" (2006) The rivalry between two late- 19th-century magicians (Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale) continually intensifies in this Christopher Nolan-directed drama. "The Illusionist" (2006) A magician (Edward Norton) pines for a woman (Jessica Biel) of higher social standing. "Oz the Great and Powerful" (2013) James Franco plays another variation on the title wizard in this large-scale Disney production. "Now You See Me" (2013) Professional illusionists use their skills to commit crimes while entertaining paying audiences in this clever comedy-mystery featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Mark Ruffalo. BY JAY BOBBIN "The Illusionist" "The Wizard of Oz" "Now You See Me" 8 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • July 28 - August 3, 2014

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