Seared Tuna with Niçoise Vegetables and Garlic Butter Recipe

By
Kerry Saretsky
a photograph of Kerry Seretsky, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kerry Saretsky

Kerry Saretsky interned at Serious Eats in 2008, and wrote the French in a Flash recipe column. She also writes her own blog on modernized French cuisine called French Revolution Food.

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Updated May. 15, 2019
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Kerry Saretsky

Simple fresh tuna, crusted in dried herbes de Provence and sea salt, seared in olive oil for just three minutes until cooked just through. Piled high on a mound of Niçoise-inspired French green beans and baby new potatoes all tossed in butter infused with olive oil, garlic, and lemon. Littered with fresh basil and parsley. And topped with bursting summer cherry tomatoes on the vine. The perfect summer dinner. Light, but so full of fresh flavor.

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Active: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 2 servings

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Ingredients

  • 1/4 pound cherry tomatoes (preferably on the vine)

  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 pound baby new potatoes

  • 1/4 pound haricots verts (or green beans), trimmed

  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

  • Zest of half a lemon, in strips (made by a vegetable peeler)

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 12 fresh basil leaves, sliced

  • 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

  • Two 5-ounce fillets fresh tuna

  • 1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence

Directions

  1. Adjust rack 6 inches from broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Preheat the broiler. Drizzle the tomatoes with about 1 teaspoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil for 8 minutes, or until just bursting.

  2. Put the potatoes in a stockpot and cover by at least 1 inch cold salted water. Bring to a boil then add haricôts verts. Cook beans for three minutes, then remove with strainer and transfer to an ice bath. Continue to cook potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes total. Drain and set aside.

  3. Meanwhile, place 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, and lemon zest in a small saucepot over medium low heat. Cook until bubbles start to form around zest. Remove from heat and set aside.

  4. Add the butter to the infused oil, stir to combine, and discard the garlic cloves and lemon zest. Toss the haricots verts and potatoes with the garlic oil-butter, the basil, and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

  5. In a small nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil until shimmering. Season the tuna with herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper on both sides. Sear for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side for medium to medium well. Plate the potatoes and haricots verts, place the tuna on top, and pile the roasted cherry tomatoes on top of that. Serve with a lemon wedge if you like.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
587 Calories
34g Fat
32g Carbs
39g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 587
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g 44%
Saturated Fat 8g 38%
Cholesterol 71mg 24%
Sodium 869mg 38%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 39g
Vitamin C 31mg 156%
Calcium 76mg 6%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 1494mg 32%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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