Spiced Tuna Steaks With Fennel And Red Peppers Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until leeks are limp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the fennel and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. The mixture should be very soft.
• Meanwhile, season the albacore steaks with salt and pepper and heat the remaining olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Sear the albacore steaks for 30 seconds on each side. Place on top of the fennel. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
• Sprinkle on the parsley and serve, laying the fish on top of the fennel, with lemon wedges on the side.

Steps:

• Season the tuna with salt on both sides, then press the peppercorns into both sides. Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet until almost smoking. Add the tuna and lower the heat to medium. Sear the tuna until browned on the outside but still rare in the center, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Thinly slice the tuna and fan the slices onto 4 plates. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• To prepare the watermelon salsa, in a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
• To prepare spice blend, grind all spices in a mini food processor or spice grinder they are powdery. Spread the spice mixture evenly on a large plate.
• Rinse the tuna fillets and pat dry. Place one side of each piece of tuna into the spice mixture. Shake off excess.
• In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Carefully place two of the tuna fillets, spiced side down, into the skillet. A spice crust should form within 1 minute. Using kitchen tongs, turn over the tuna, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 2 to 5 minutes to desired doneness. Repeat the process with the remaining tuna fillets. For Watermelon Salsa:

Steps:

• Lightly brush tuna steaks with some additional oil and season with salt. Crush fennel seeds and peppercorns coarse in a mortar with a pestle and press onto both sides of tuna steaks. Let tuna steaks stand on a plate 10 minutes.
• In a heavy non-stick skillet sauté fennel bulb in 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden. Add bell pepper and garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add water and simmer vegetables, covered, 10 minutes, or until fennel is tender. Remove lid and, if necessary, boil mixture until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste and keep warm.
• While fennel mixture is cooking, brush a heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, with some additional oil and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté tuna steaks 2 minutes on each side, or until barely pink in center, for medium meat. Transfer tuna steaks to plates and spoon fennel-pepper mixture over and around them.

Steps:

• Combine black pepper and sesame seeds in bowl.
• Press tuna steaks into mixture, until coated.
• Heat sesame oil over medium-high heat.
• Add tuna steaks and sear about 1- 1 1/2 minutes each side (I like mine rare in the center, longer if you prefer well-cooked tuna).
• Transfer steaks to tented aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Add a touch more oil to pan, then add soy sauce and sherry.
• Add garlic and most of green onion (reserving some of the tops).
• If too much has boiled off, add a bit of red wine if necessary.
• Reduce heat and simmer until mixture is slightly reduced, scraping up any brown bits, about 1 minute.
• Spoon sauce over tuna steaks, and sprinkle remaining green onion on top.
• Note: if you want to make more of this sauce, it tastes fantastic, and goes great with rices, potatoes, roasted veggies, etc.
• In the photo, I cross-cut Italian bread, drizzled with olive oil and briefly toasted.