Seared Tuna with Salsa Verde

In this simple dish, we prefer the fish rare; simply increase the cooking time if you like your fish more well-done. This dish makes an impressive entrée for guests, yet it’s deceptively simple to prepare.

Servings:
6

Prep Time:
40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds yellowfin tuna fillet
Ground cumin, to taste
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil

Salsa Verde
1/2 cup tomatillos, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped
1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon honey
Juice of ½ lime
1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed, dried, finely chopped
2 tsp parsley, finely chopped

• Clean the skin and bloodline from the tuna, if necessary. Slice the tuna into 6 even portions. Season the fish with cumin, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
• To make the salsa verde, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Cook the tomatillos, jalapeño and onion until very brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly.
• Season to taste with honey, lime, salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro and parsley. Reserve until needed.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large sauté pan over very high heat until the oil is almost smoking. Gently lay the tuna steaks in the pan and brown on each side for about 1 minute, for rare tuna. Place the tuna on warm plates and spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of the salsa verde on top.

(Recipe courtesy of Diet Coke and The Culinary Institute of America)