Rosie Makes Herbalicious Tuna.

 

 I have another tuna preparation for you today.  Today's tuna dish is "Herbalicious Tuna." It's seared and sliced tuna steaks served with an herbal condiment and a fresh garden salad.  All the flavors come together in this preparation.  You have the brightness of citrus and herbal flavors along with a tomato and cucumber salad.  My herbal condiment combines the citrus fragrance of lemon zest with the grassiness of parsley, the sweetness and pepperiness of basil, the refreshing coolness of mint, and the savory pungency of garlic.  It's light and summery and simple.

Remember my Tuna Connection?

He scored once again and I have this nice tuna loin.

 The first tuna dish I made was my Non-tuna salad - a non-traditional, unconventional salad, of sorts, which was both lovely to look at and lovely to eat.  Colors, textures, and flavors were exceptional.

 

In case you missed it, here's the recipe.

Now, back to today's tuna delight.
 

  First, I sliced the tuna into generous 1-inch thick steaks.

I'm not bothering with a marinade here.  I just sprinkled on some Lawry's seasoned pepper and Togarashi seasoning before searing.  Togarashi is a combination or red chile flakes, black and white sesame seeds, nori (seaweed), poppy seeds, and lemon and orange zests. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heated my cast iron skillet over high heat and added a swirl of peanut oil.  (Peanut oil for the high smoke point.)  Let the temperature get to at least 475°.  Add in a pat of butter and let it melt, and then place in your tuna steak.  I'm using a small pan here, so one steak at a time.  You don't want to crowd the pan which lowers the heat.  You want that pan hothothot to get that nice sear.

  I like my tuna on the rare side, so cook for 1 - 1 ½ minutes on the first side, turn over, and cook for a minute on the other side.  Remove from pan and let rest a couple minutes before slicing and plating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the herbal condiment:

 ½  oz. parsley

¼  oz. basil

⅛  oz. mint

1 garlic clove

Juice and zest of one lemon

1 TB oil

Kosher salt, to taste 

If you don’t have a scale to measure in fractions of an ounce, go with a yepsen of parsley, a handful of basil, and a half handful of mint.  And by the way, a yepsen is a unit of measurement.  It’s the amount that can be held in two hands cupped together.

Mince the garlic, finely chop the herbs, add in the juice and zest of the lemon, then stir in the oil.  Pinch of salt.  

I served the tuna slices with a fresh salad from the garden.

 Simple Garden Salad 

½ cup diced cucumber

½ cup diced tomato

¼ cup chopped red onion

1-2 tsp minced jalapeño

1 TB chopped fresh basil

2 TB chopped fresh parsley

 

Combine ingredients and toss with dressing:

1 TB sugar

2 TB cider vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

To plate, arrange tuna slices, spoon herbal dressing over top, and nestle in the tomato-cucumber salad.

Enjoy.