Marinated Tuna

Marinated Tuna, originally uploaded by Kim De.

My goal in feeding us in a healthy manner is to have seafood at least one time a week and veggie meals two times a week. I frequently do the seafood on Mondays so it is not left behind. Last night I chose marinated tuna steaks.

This recipe came together very quickly. I soaked an ancho chile for about an hour, then into the blender it went with orange juice, honey, garlic, and a touch of olive oil. The blender mixture was placed in a bowl was joined by toasted fennel and peppercorns with salt and pepper. The tuna was set in the mixture to soak for about 30 minutes while I pulled together the side dish. (NOTE: the recipe did not call for the blender to be used, this is my addition)

You wont find a recipe for the "corn salad" as it is my own concoction. I pull it out when I want something simple to go with southwest flavors. Corn from the freezer is put in a warm pan with chopped garlic. The trick is to saute the garlic without burning, while nicely browning the corn. I try to start on medium-low to cook through then turn the fire up to medium to caramelize the corn.

While the corn was cooking, I chopped part of a red pepper into a bowl and added some crumbled feta. Once the corn is done into the bowl it goes, slightly softening the pepper and cheese. Salt and pepper are added as well as diced green onions.

This recipe is very forgiving - I frequently add a chopped serrano chile, bleu cheese can be used in place of the feta, a dressing of lime juice, honey and olive oil can be drizzled over the warmed veggies - the options are limitless! My favorite way to serve is cooled slightly so it is closer to room temperature. It is also good cold.

Back to the tuna and its marinade: neither of us cared for it. We could not put into words what we didnt like but both agreed simple salt and pepper would have tasted better. It iwll head into my "do not use again" file.



Tuna Steaks with Ancho Chile Marinade (Adapted from Bobby Flay)

2 ancho chilies, soaked, seeded and pureed
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons whole allspice, toasted
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 sprigs Mexican oregano
4 tuna steaks, 6 ounces each
Salt and pepper

1. Whisk together ancho puree, garlic, fennel, allspice, orange juice, honey, olive oil, and oregano in a medium-baking dish. Add the tuna and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, covered.

2. Heat grill pan over high heat. Remove tuna from marinade and season with salt and pepper to taste on both sides. Sear on 1 side until golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn over and cook for 1 minute for medium-rare doneness.