i made this up, on the fly, last week and it was DELICIOUS. i was wandering the grocery store post work, post gym, and i saw two little yellowfin tuna steaks sitting pretty in the fresh fish window. cue me asking the guy for the larger of the two and imaging what i could do with it.
i ended up with a cart full of peppers, mixed greens, some artichoke and spinach ravioli, some baby bella mushrooms and a few other odds and ends. upon my arrival at home, i promptly forgot about the food until about 8pm, and then i jumped up realizing i sort of needed to cook, and quick.
i poured a substantial amount of olive oil into a cast iron pan and let it heat up. i chopped the peppers and the ‘shrooms and i tossed them (literally) into the hot oil. they sizzled for a few minutes before i turned it down. meanwhile, i boiled some water for the pasta and drank some wine.
read on for the full recipe and how you can recreate this dish at home or at your airbnb while traveling the globe.
what you need:
yellowfin or ahi tuna steaks, a few ounces for each person
bell peppers, assorted
baby bella mushrooms, one or two per person
baby heirloom tomatoes (we picked ours from the garden)
ground pepper/peppercorns
spinach or spring mix salad
artichoke and spinach ravioli, or other flavour you like. make sure its ravioli.
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
what you do:
set one cast iron pan to heat with a teaspoon of olive oil, and set a pot of water to boil. chop your peppers and mushrooms (and whatever other veg you want to add – asparagus? green beans? the options are endless) and toss them into the hot oil. saute until nicely brown and add to a bowl. i tossed my heirloom tomatoes into the bowl too, so they would get warm but not *hot*. add your pasta to the pot when it starts boiling and let it cook for three to five minutes. add a little more oil to the cast iron pan and turn the heat waaaaaay up. grind a ton of pepper on to the steaks and flip, grinding some more pepper. set the tuna steaks in your hot oil and let sear for ten seconds. flip and repeat. i flipped twice on each side.
pile a whole bunch of spring mix or spinach onto plates and when your tuna is done, set them on top of the lettuce. pile the veg mix next to it and set two or three ravioli on the other side. drizzle with balsamic vinegar. cut with a fork and knife and revel in the perfection of the bright pink tuna interior and the lovely peppery encrusted exterior. take a bite and enjoy.
wine pairing:
i’m enjoying a torrontes from mendoza, argentina, and it went vert nicely with the meatiness of the tuna steak, the tart balsamic vinegar and the heirloom tomatoes. perfection.