Accounting for Taste

Imagine a beautifully plated dish that showcases the vibrant, fresh flavors of the sea and Mediterranean garden. At the center is a perfectly seared tuna steak, its exterior caramelized to a tender, golden-brown crust while the interior remains delightfully rare, melt-in-your-mouth pink. The tuna’s rich, meaty texture provides a luxurious base for the meal.

Resting atop the tuna is a bright and zesty citrus, tomato, and olive sauce. This sauce balances savory and tangy notes with a Mediterranean flair. Juices of fresh lemons and oranges mingle with ripe, sliced plum tomatoes and briny black olives, enhanced by a touch of garlic. The acidity and complexity of the sauce perfectly cut through the richness of the tuna, creating a harmonious blend of flavors in every bite.

On the side, a serving of fluffy couscous complements the dish with its light, grainy texture. The couscous is cooked to a tender consistency, each tiny granule separate and airy, and acts as a gentle flavor absorber, soaking up the juices from the citrus sauce and adding a satisfying, hearty component to the meal.

Together, this dish offers a balance of textures and flavors—tender, rich tuna; vibrant, tangy sauce; and delicate, comforting couscous—making a meal that’s fresh, elegant, and nourishing.

With just the two of us for dinner, we simply cooked one large tuna steak (keeping the amount of the other ingredients intact) and shared it along with couscous cooked in homemade shrimp stock, and a small side salad. Healthy eating at its best!

Seared Tuna with Citrus, Tomato and Olive Sauce

Servings: 4
Time: 50 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

2 medium plum tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium lemon
2 medium navel oranges
2 Tbsp. coriander seeds
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
4 tuna steaks 1 inch thick (6 to 7 oz. each)
5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 anchovy fillets rinsed and patted dry
1 large clove garlic minced
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives (about 18)
Optional sliced scallions for garish
Lemon wedges for serving

Directions

Cut each tomato into four wedges, cut out the cores, and remove the seeds and pulp. Slice the tomatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips. In a colander, toss them with 1/4 tsp. salt and let them drain for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, finely grate the zest of the lemon. Put the zest in a medium bowl. Working over the bowl, segment the lemon and the oranges. In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle (or with a meat mallet; put the spices in a zip-top bag), coarsely grind the coriander and peppercorns. Press the spices into both sides of the tuna steaks.
Gently heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the anchovies and mash them into the oil with the back of a spoon until nearly dissolved. Turn the heat to low, add the garlic, and cook until softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the drained tomato strips, the orange and lemon segments (with the zest and juice), and the olives to the pan. Toss very gently to warm through, being careful not to break up the citrus segments. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and keep warm.
Wipe out the skillet, set it over medium-high heat, and pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Generously salt the tuna steaks on both sides. Working in batches if necessary, sear the steaks, pressing on them while cooking to help a crust develop, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the tuna and continue to cook until golden brown, another 2 to 3 minutes for medium rare to medium. Transfer the tuna to dinner plates and serve with the warm citrus sauce.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Arlene Jacobs

There was a good sale on tuna steaks at our favorite supermarket a few weeks back, even though tuna was not on our short list for the week’s meals. But we repackaged them for future use and placed them in the freezer. A few weeks later we remembered we had the tuna and found a perfect recipe from America’s Test Kitchen.

Problem was, the recipe was for 4 people, which in normal cases, typically is not an issue because we will eat them for lunch the next day. No problem, we just cut the recipe in half, including the ginger soy sauce.

The fact that there are minimal ingredients, and takes very little time for prep and cooking, makes it a winner-dinner for mid-week. Paired with a side dish of Soy-Braised Baby Bok Choy, we enjoyed a tasty, healthy and quick dinner.

Pan-Seared Sesame-Crusted Tuna Steaks

Servings: 4
Time: 20 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

¾ cup sesame seeds
4 tuna steaks, 8 oz. each and about 1 inch thick
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Spread sesame seeds in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Pat tuna steaks dry with paper towel; use 1 tablespoon oil to rub both sides of steaks, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press both sides of each steak in sesame seeds to coat.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke; swirl to coat pan. Add tuna steaks and cook 30 seconds without moving steaks. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue to cook until seeds are golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.
Using tongs, carefully flip tuna steaks; cook, without moving steaks, until golden brown on second side, about 1 1/2 minutes for rare (opaque at perimeters and translucent red and cool at center when checked with tip of paring knife) or 3 minutes for medium-rare (opaque at perimeters and reddish pink at center). To serve, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Ginger Soy Sauce with Scallions