Tag Archives: tuna steaks

Braised Tuna Puttanesca with Lemon-Garlic Rice

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Did you know that Puttanesca sauce originated in Naples Italy? The name derives from the Italian word puttana which translates roughly to “lady of the night,” or “in the style of the whore.” Puttana in turn arises from the Latin word putida which means stinking. It’s a wonder how this tasty dish became associated with such sordid content, but I’ll leave you to research that aspect… There is a lot of disagreement about the origins, and the authorities on Italian food seem to be wary of making a definitive statement about it.

OK, so let’s get to the delicious recipe. Puttanesca is made from tomatoes, black olives, capers, anchovies, onions, garlic, and herbs, usually oregano and parsley but sometimes also basil; we used cilantro for a change of pace. This particular version leaves out the anchovies, but you could easily add some in if desired.

It is an easy sauce, briefly cooked, and is very fragrant and spicy. We paired it here with a Lemon-Garlic Rice, but fell free to use a simple steamed rice.

Braised Tuna Puttanesca

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
  • 28-oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed with hands
  • 1/4 cup capers, rinsed
  • 1/3 cup pitted olives, black or green, or a mix, sliced
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 4 tuna steaks, about 6 oz. each
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • Lemon Garlic Rice (see recipe below)

Directions

  1. Heat oil in large saute pan. Add onions and cook for about 4 minutes.
  2. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes; saute until softened, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add capers, olives, pepper flakes and wine. Bring to simmer. Add tuna steaks. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove tuna and keep warm.
  4. Reduce sauce to desired consistency. Stir in cilantro. Serve tuna with warm sauce and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
  5. Serve with Lemon Garlic Rice, (see recipe below).

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Lemon-Garlic Rice

Lemon-Garlic Rice

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
  • 2 cups water
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • Black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until soft.
  2. Add garlic and cook one minute.
  3. Add rice and toss to coat with oil. Add water, a pinch of salt and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
  4. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, toss with lemon zest and chopped cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Grilled Tuna with Watercress-Parsley Salad and Charmoula Vinaigrette

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The secret for the best grilled tuna steaks? Extra-virgin olive oil my friend. To produce tuna steaks beautifully seared on the outside and moist and tender on the inside, Cook’s Illustrated discovered that marinating the fish in extra-virgin olive for at least an hour produced remarkably moist grilled fish. We took it a step further—in fact, 10 hours further—by marinating the fish for 11 hours.

Reminiscent of Mediterranean cuisine, it inspired me to include some salt-dried black olives which gave the dish an extra depth of flavor and a little salt bomb pop. Be aware, that once you place the tuna on the grill, it’s only a matter of minutes before the fish comes to temp at 120°, which is medium-rare, so make sure everything else is prepared in advance.

With just the two of us, we had ample tuna leftover, so the following day The Hubs made a fabulous tuna salad which included mayo, anchovy, roasted garlic paste, minced celery and shallot, dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, cured olives, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper. He just eyeballed the proportions and taste-tested until he was satisfied. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, adjust the ingredients to suit your own preferences.

We made tuna salad from the leftover tuna steak meat and served it on a bed of bibb lettuce.

Two meals from one—always a win-win in my book!

Grilled Tuna with Watercress-Parsley Salad and Charmoula Vinaigrette

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

Grilled Tuna

  • 4 tuna steaks (about 3/4-inch thick and 8 ounces each)
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For Vinaigrette

  • 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 small cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 bunch watercress, washed, dried well, and trimmed
  • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, washed and dried well
  • 1/2 cup salt brined black olives, pitted and roughly chopped

Directions

  1. For Tuna: Place tuna and oil in gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag; seal bag and refrigerate until fish has marinated fully, at least 1 and up to 24 hours.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat your grill until very hot.
  3. Remove tuna from bag; season both sides of each steak with salt and pepper.
  4. Grill over direct heat until well seared and grill marks appear, about 1 1/2 minutes.
  5. Flip steaks over and grill on second side until fish is cooked to medium (opaque throughout, yet translucent at very center when checked with point of paring knife), 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer.
  6. For Vinaigrette: Whisk lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and cilantro in small bowl. Add oil in slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth; season with pepper to taste.
  7. Place watercress, parsley and olives in medium bowl; drizzle with half the vinaigrette and toss to coat.
  8. Divide dressed greens among four serving plates; place a grilled tuna steak next to or on each bed of greens, drizzle with a portion of remaining vinaigrette, and serve immediately.

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Adapted from a recipe by Cook’s Illustrated