Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Dinner Tonight: Seared Tuna with Pepper and Soy-Mustard Sauce

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, February 9, 2009 at 4:45 PM

It seems like everyone I know is taking fish oil, including my sister, my father-in-law, and even his aging arthritic miniature-dachshund. It apparently works wonders—even for dogs. I've been told many times that I should think about taking them, but with an elegant dish like this one that takes so little time, why not go straight to the source?

In just a handful of ingredients, this recipe (adapted from the Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges) manages to convey a whole range of flavors and textures. The crisp and tart salad is dressed in nothing more than oil and lime juice. The sauce is all assertive force, which balances nicely against the slightly crunchy and fatty tuna. That pepper around the tuna is actually supposed to be Sichuan pepper, which certainly isn't the same thing as regular black pepper. But in a pinch the black pepper worked fine for me.

Seared Tuna with Pepper and Soy-Mustard Sauce

- serves 2 as a main course -

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups of mixed greens
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
1/2 cup black pepper, cracked
Salt
4 three-ounce pieces tuna, about 1-inch in diameter

Procedure

1. Combine the mustard, soy sauce, ginger, shallots, and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice. Slowly whisk in the 3 tablespoons of the oil. Set aside.

2. Dump the greens and alfalfa sprouts into a large bowl. Pour the rest of the lime juice and 1 tablespoons of the oil onto the greens and toss until the leaves are coated.

3. Coat the all sides of the tuna pieces with the cracked pepper. Sprinkle each salt. Pour the the rest of the oil into a skillet set over high heat. Carefully set the tuna pieces in the skillet and cook for 30 seconds a side.
4. Cut the tuna into 1/2 inch pieces. Serve the tuna pieces with the salad and the sauce.

2 Comments Favorite this!  (3)

Tags: fish, seafood, tuna

View other entries from Dinner Tonight.