Description
Bill and Denise Atwood from The Red Pheasant served this tuna preparation at the restaurant last summer to great acclaim. The salad combination is unusual but the balance of tart, sweet, and salty combine well and it is delicious. It is worth searching out the finest tuna–try Cape Fish and Lobster in Hyannis. Â
Ingredients
At a glance
Region
Main Ingredient
Cuisine
Cooking Method
Difficulty
Basil Oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups basil leaves
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salad
1 medium fennel bulb
1 seedless navel orange with peel cut off
1 tbsp capers, rinsed in cold water and dried
2 cups local tomatoes in various colors, cut in small wedges
1/2 cup oil cured black olives, pitted
12 mint leaves rinsed, dried, and sliced into thin threads at the last minute
Fish
Four 6-oz portions of the best grade tuna steaks
Crusty French-style bread
Methods/steps
1. Place balsamic vinegar in a non-reactive saucepan, and boil gently until it reduces by 2/3 to create a light syrup. Remove from heat and reserve.
2. Blanch basil leaves for 10 seconds in boiling water then immediately dip in ice water.
3. Dry basil leaves and puree in blender with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Slice the fennel as thinly as possible–shaving on a mandolin is ideal.
5. Remove orange sections with a paring knife and reserve in a bowl. Squeeze juice from pith into another bowl. Discard pith.
6. Make a dressing by whisking together orange juice, basil oil, salt, and pepper.
7. Combine salad ingredients, coat with dressing, taste, and adjust seasoning.
8. Heat grill to hot.
9. Brush tuna with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Sear tuna to desired doneness–we like ours quite rare–and slice as soon as it comes off the heat.
10. Divide salad on 4 plates, place tuna on top of salad, drizzle with balsamic syrup, and additional basil oil. We couldn’t resist mopping up the dressing with French bread.
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Additional Tips