Rosie Sears Tuna And Makes A Black Bean And Mango Salsa.

For some reason, I had a hankering for black beans.  It happens every now and then.  So I cooked up a batch, not even knowing what they were going into or how I was going to prepare them.   I figgered it would come to me.  And it did, the next day.  In the form of a black bean salsa with tuna.  Kind of a perfect meal. 

One of the (many) perks of living where I live is knowing who I know and being gifted, from time to time, with fresh seafood.  Today, Youngest Hawthorne brought me some beautiful tuna fillets.  Perfect. 

 

 It's seared tuna and black bean salsa.  A most excellent repast indeed.

 First, I made a quick marinade for the tuna.

I rubbed some brown sugar onto both sides of the tuna and heavily peppered it with freshly ground pepper.  The brown sugar doesn't really sweeten the meat, but it does give it a nice caramelization when you sear it, creating rich golden brown colors and nutty, butter-like flavors.  Next, I just let the fillet sit in a mixture of Tamari sauce and balsamic vinegar, coating both sides.

 

About Tamari sauce.  You can substitute soy sauce.  Tamari is a gluten-free variety of soy sauce.  And I just discovered I can't eat wheat  (FIE!) so Tamari is perfect for me.  Tamari is made almost exclusively from soybeans, while soy sauce ferments soybeans with roasted wheat.  Tamari sauce is richer, darker, thicker, less salty, and, I think, more flavorful (umamier?) than soy sauce.

 

While the tuna was sitting, I made a black bean and mango salsa.

The day before, as I said, I was in the mood for black beans, so I simmered up a pot of beans and had those waiting in the fridge for me.  All I had to do was come up with a salsa recipe.  And I did.

 

Rosie's Black Bean and Mango Salsa 

1 cup cooked black beans (You could use canned if you must, but I prefer to cook my own and get the texture just right.  If you use canned, be sure to rinse them well.)

½ mango, diced

1 small red bell pepper, chopped 

1 small red onion, chopped

1 small avocado, diced

juice of 1 lime (2-3 TB juice)

2 TB honey

kosher salt, to taste

 

 Whisk honey and lime juice until well mixed.

Combine beans, fruit, and vegetables.

Pour lime/honey mixture over and mix well to coat.

Salt to taste. 

 Now, let's sear some tuna.

Cast iron pan over medium high heat.

Pour in about a tablespoon of oil and when it reaches about 425° drop in a tablespoon of butter.  When the butter is done spitting and foaming, lay in the tuna fillet.  Cook about 2 minutes first side and  1½  minutes on the flip side for rare 1-inch thick fillets. Remove from pan and let sit for a few minutes before slicing.

 Some time in between searing the tuna and making the salsa, I'd cooked some Basmati rice. After eating this rice, I had to go back and check the box and see what it was because it was better than my usual Basmati rice.  It's Ralston Family Farms Basmati Rice, "a savory long-grain rice with distinctively aromatic notes and airy texture" and I can second that. I don't remember buying it, but it would either be Food Lion or Harris Teeter and I'm probably leaning toward the Teeter here.  Cook it according to package directions, plop a generous chunk of butter in the middle, and have at it.

Enjoy.