After coming across some fresh albacore tuna at the farmer’s market this past week (what kind of “farmers” farm tuna you ask? Fish farmers!) we decided to go a classic route with it, combining many other fresh ingredients that came from some of the organic farms at the market as well.
For this we used 1 head of butter lettuce (romaine, mixed greens or any other broad leaf lettuce would work fine, this is what we had), 1/2 cup white cannellini beans (we had a jar of them packed in water which we rinsed and dried, but dried beans simmered and soaked for about an hour work great too), 1/2 lb green beans (dressed, with then end chopped off), 1/2 cup black olives (pitted and chopped in half), 2/3 lb albacore tuna filet (cut into 3/4″ thick “steaks”), 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 2 garlic cloves (crushed and roughly chopped), 6-10 small potatoes (cut in half), 6-8 cherry tomatoes (cut in half), olive oil, salt & pepper.
And for the dressing – 4-6 finely chopped anchovies, 1 small finely chopped shallot, 1/4 fresh lemon juice, 1+ tsp dijon mustard, 1-2 tsp dill, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (to taste), salt & pepper.
First, boil some water in a pot to cook the potatoes and beans. Once it is boiling, place the potatoes in first, and let them boil for about 4 mins before adding the beans for a further 2-4 mins (at most). Potatoes should be “stiffly soft” and not yet crumbling. Drain all and the place them in a large bowl of ice water to cool. After about 5 mins, remove from cooling water and drain.
Gently season both sides of the tuna “steaks” with a little salt and pepper. Heat about 1/2″ of olive oil in a skillet until shimmering. Quickly place the rosemary sprigs and crushed garlic into the oil and swish around gently for about 1 min. Place the seasoned tuna steaks in the hot oil and cook quickly on each side – leaving the middle slightly pink – about 2-3 mins per side, max. Remove the tuna steaks from the oil and let them drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Whisk together the anchovies, shallot, lemon juice, mustard, and dill along with about 2-3 Tbsp of the seasoned cooking oil. Add some red wine vinegar to taste and season with salt & pepper.
Roughly chop your lettuce and put into a large salad bowl. Add potatoes and green beans, then tomatoes, olives, white beans. Roughly chop the cooked tuna into pieces about 1″ long – add those to the salad. Add dressing and gently toss. Serve with crostini or fresh ciabatta.
Dinner at Our Place 