DSC_0605Honestly, posting this almost feels like cheating. Making a great tuna steak depends 99% on the tuna you pick out; actually cooking it takes about 30 seconds. Sadly, the Kroger I went to was all out of sushi-grade Ahi, but you can still fancy up a less-than-perfect piece of tuna with a good sauce. A vinaigrette is almost as easy as the tuna and compliments the meat really well.

This vinaigrette is super easy in it’s own right. It’s mostly just chopped olives. Mix in a little balsamic vinegar, a tiny bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and you have a fancy topping for your fancy tuna steak. Back to the steak – I can’t stress enough how important it is to get your pan smoking hot, like in the picture below. Once you season the tuna, it really does take about 20 seconds per side. The majority of the tuna should still be rare in the middle, or you might as well eat the canned stuff and throw ten bucks in the trash.

DSC_0591 DSC_0606Ingredients

1 large tuna steak

3 ounces mixed olives

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Process

  1. Place a heavy pan over high heat. Leave the pan on the stove for a 10 minutes or so until it begins to smoke.
  2. While the pan heats up, heavily season either side of the tuna with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, lay the tuna flat in the pan. There’s no need to add oil or butter if you’re using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
  3. When the edges of the tuna have colored evenly, after 20-30 seconds, flip the steak and sear on the other side in the same way.
  4. While the tuna cools, mince the olives. With a fork, whisk together the olives, olive oil, vinegar and a pinch each of salt and pepper.