This grilled tuna is a very refreshing and healthy summer dish. Unfortunately, on the day I made this for the office team, our area was cloudy and cool. I felt a little rebellious and wanted to cook a comforting cold weather dish, like pot roast or hot soup. But we pretended the sun was out and enjoyed our light and refreshing dish anyways. (To salve our disappointed hearts, a few of us had homemade hot chocolate with Costa Rican chocolate. Sure, that’s a little quirky–but you have to roll with what the days bring in our neck of the woods.)
Nicoise-Style Grilled Tuna
(Serves 2)
Marinade:
2 – 6 to 8 ounce ahi tuna steaks
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
Mix all together and marinate tuna for 30 minutes.
Plate Ingredients:
2 large lettuce leaves of your choice
2 handfuls small green beans, preferably haricot vert
6 kalamata olives
1 boiled egg
2-4 small potatoes, depending on size and appetite
6 cherry tomatoes
Steam potatoes until tender and set aside. Blanch green beans for 3 minutes and shock in an ice bath to retain color; dry and set aside. Prepare vinaigrette.
Vinaigrette:
¼ cup apple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons parmesan
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 anchovy or 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all vinaigrette ingredients in blender or food processor. Set aside.
Heat a grill pan to medium-high and season tuna with salt and pepper. Sear tuna on both sides, looking at the sides of the tuna for level of doneness. Cook to desired doneness, but medium rare is best, which takes one to two minutes per side. Place on cutting board and let rest for at least ten minutes. Cut on a bias into slices.
Assemble plate by placing tuna in the middle on a lettuce leaf. Add tomatoes, potatoes, olives, half an egg, and green beans around the fish. Drizzle desired amount of vinaigrette over ingredients. Enjoy!
