Simply Tunarrific
Some fish simply require nothing more than a sear in sizzling butter in a hot pan. Some require even less than that. And this brings me to tuna. For me, the less you do to it the better and I love nothing more than a slice of melt-in-the-mouth, buttery raw tuna. But some folk shy against raw tuna (their loss, I think) and require a little more culinary attention to that lovely meat. I found some beautiful tuna steaks and my preparation today will, I think, please the gamut of tuna afficionados – from those who relish a tuna seviche or poke bowl, to those who like a simple and quick blackening sear, and to those who enjoy a bit more complexity and would appreciate some complementary flavors as a backdrop to their fish. Remember when you’re embellishing a food that has its own intrinsic flavor (scallops, filet mignon, tuna), you don’t want to overpower the star of the meal. Your components should accent, add support, and be a minor part of the relationship. Your accompaniments should draw attention to and highlight the main attraction of the meal, in this case the tuna, but never overwhelm nor share the stage 50/50.
Rosie’s Seared Tuna Steaks
Tuna steaks, at least an inch thick, room temperature
Rosie Note: Whenever I’m cooking meat, especially thicker cuts, I allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cooking. This rest enables the meat to reach an equalized temperature throughout so you have a more even cooking process, preventing the inside from staying cold and the outside from overcooking. In addition, during this rest, the muscle fibers relax , contributing to a more tender and flavorful end result.
Resting the meat after cooking (tent loosely with foil to maintain heat) allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a juicier, more tender piece of meat.
Procedure: I’m going to make a rub for the tuna steaks, sear them in a hot cast iron skillet, and pour in an orange juice mixture to deglaze the pan and make a nice sauce to accompany the fillets. My side dishes for the tuna will be orange-infused jasmine rice and a mushroom and spinach dish. The rice takes the longest, so I’ll start with that.
For the rice: You could use either basmati or jasmine rice. Both are flavorful long-grained rices. The basmati has a nutty flavor; the jasmine has a sweeter, more floral flavor. Your pick. Prepare rice according to package directions, but instead of using all water to simmer the rice in, I use a combination of orange juice and water, maybe ½ and ½. After cooking, plop in a nice chunk of unsalted butter, cover, and set aside. Sprinkle some orange zest over top for serving.
For the tuna:
Zest and juice both oranges, setting aside a teaspoon of zest to sprinkle on the rice. Two oranges should yield about ½ cup of juice. Stir in the soy sauce and set aside. You’ll use this mixture to deglaze the pan with.
Rub the zest and brown sugar on both sides of the tuna fillets.
Pour in enough oil to film your pan and set it over medium high heat. When the temperature is about 425°, add in a pat of butter. Let it spit, sizzle, and melt, then place your tuna steaks in the pan. Mine were over 1 inch thick and I like my tuna rare. Cook about 2 minutes first side, then turn the steaks over and cook about 1 ½ minutes on the second side. Remove from pan and let rest. Turn heat down to medium and pour in the orange juice/soy sauce mixture, scraping the pan to get the goodie bits. That’s what I call those tasty little particles, but the culinary term for “goody bits,” or the residue of browned meat that adheres to the pan, is the fond and that’s where all the flavor is. This cooking technique is called “deglazing” the pan. You use a liquid, like the orange juice, or wine or stock, to loosen and dissolve the browned, caramelized food particles stuck on the bottom of the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering until the sauce reduces and thickens a bit, concentrating the flavors. The resulting sauce is full of flavor and is used to enhance your dish for an extra layer of richness and savoriness. If you’d like to add a bit of decadence to this sauce, whisk in a few tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon at a time, incorporating thoroughly before adding in the next one.
I also added some pomegranate arils and cranberries which I had frozen (leftover from Christmas cookery). I like the red colors and the piquancy of flavoring.
About 2 minutes first side, turn, and give it a minute more on the flip side. For rare.
Deglaze pan with orange juice and soy mixture.
Simmer, stirring until reduced, then add in the cranberries, pom arils, and strawberries. Or not. Your choice.
Give your steaks a chance to rest.
I don't give exact amounts here. Use what you can eat.
Sear the shrooms first. Then drop in the spinach, remove from heat, cover, and get ready to eat.
For the spinach and mushrooms:
While the tuna is resting after its searing, heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat with a slight film of oil and add a tablespoon of butter. When the butter is sizzling, add in sliced mushrooms and let cook, stirring. When the mushrooms are browned, turn off heat, add in stemmed spinach leaves, and cover. You want the spinach to just barely wilt and retain its vibrant green color, not overcook and become dark, dull green and mushy or slimy. Salt to taste.
To serve: Pool sauce on the plate and place tuna steak. Add sliced strawberries, pomegranate arils, and cranberries, if desired. Scoop a mound of rice and a spoonful of spinach and mushrooms. Add more sauce if you like.
In the unlikely event that you have leftover tuna, I would suggest making tuna salad.
Rosie’s Tuna Salad:
Cut the tuna into ½-inch bits. Drop into a pan of salted and Old Bay-ed boiling water. Leave for about a minute, until water comes back to a boil and tuna is white. Drain and let cool completely. Combine tuna (You can flake it if you like.), minced celery, sweet relish, minced red pepper, radish, parsley, and mayo. Fork it all together, taste test, and add salt and pepper as needed or adjust any of the other ingredients to taste. Serve on crackers, ideally with some fresh dill. Alas, I had no fresh dill, so I used dill-flavored Triscuits. Quite good.
Enjoy.
