Coriander Fennel And Pepper Crusted Tuna With Watermelon Salsa Recipes

FENNEL CRUSTED TUNA

Steps:

• Place toasted seeds, white pepper and salt in spice grinder. Grind to the size of coarse ground pepper. Brush outside of tuna with olive oil. Crust tuna loin with ground spice mixture. Sear tuna in a non-stick pan, using olive oil sparingly, approximately 45 to 60 seconds on all sides. Should be golden brown on the outside and pink in the center. Slice into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces and serve with papaya salad. Can be stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped 3 to 4 hours before serving.

TUNA STEAKS WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until leeks are limp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the fennel and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasonings. The mixture should be very soft.
• Meanwhile, season the albacore steaks with salt and pepper and heat the remaining olive oil in another pan over medium-high heat. Sear the albacore steaks for 30 seconds on each side. Place on top of the fennel. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.
• Sprinkle on the parsley and serve, laying the fish on top of the fennel, with lemon wedges on the side.

BLACK PEPPER AND CORIANDER-CRUSTED TUNA WITH ORANGE AND FENNEL-ROASTED POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Cut the potatoes into wedges and drop them onto a cookie sheet. Coat the potatoes in 3 tablespoons of the EVOO. Season the spuds with the grill seasoning. Roast the potatoes, turning them once, for 25 minutes, until tender and brown at the edges and a bit crusty.
• In a large salad bowl, combine the fennel fronds, thinly sliced fennel, red onion, basil, and parsley. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest and juice with the Dijon mustard and a little salt and pepper. In a slow steady stream, whisk in 3 tablespoons of the EVOO. Pour the dressing over the fennel salad, toss to coat, and reserve.
• When the potatoes have about 10 more minutes to roast, start the tuna. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, coriander, and coarsely ground black pepper and a little salt. Pat the tuna steaks dry and then coat them in the flour mixture, pressing it in lightly. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO, twice around the pan. When the pan is very hot, add the steaks. Sear and brown the tuna steaks for 2 minutes, then turn, and immediately reduce the heat to medium. Loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and cook the steaks 5 minutes for rare, 7 minutes for medium. The steaks should be firm but have a little give, and some pink should remain at the center.
• Remove the roasted potatoes from the oven and add them to the dressed fennel salad, tossing to combine. Taste them for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if you want. Serve the tuna steaks alongside the orange and fennel-roasted potato salad.

PEPPER-CRUSTED TUNA

Steps:

• Season the tuna with salt on both sides, then press the peppercorns into both sides. Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet until almost smoking. Add the tuna and lower the heat to medium. Sear the tuna until browned on the outside but still rare in the center, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Thinly slice the tuna and fan the slices onto 4 plates. Serve immediately.

FENNEL-CRUSTED AHI TUNA WITH LEMON AïOLI OVER COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy small skillet. Toast over medium heat until fragrant, shaking skillet occasionally, about 3 minutes. Grind spice mixture in spice grinder. Transfer to bowl; mix in 1 teaspoon salt.
• Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, and half of garlic in small bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store spice mixture airtight at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate lemon aioli.)
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot and onion and sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add thyme and remaining garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add 2 1/4 cups water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil. Add sugar snap peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer peas to plate. Immediately add couscous to water in skillet and stir to combine. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Transfer to bowl and cool completely. Mix in sugar snap peas and dill. Season to taste with pepper. (Couscous can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Prepare barbecue (high heat). Coat tuna with 6 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with spice mixture. Grill tuna until seared outside and rare in center, about 4 minutes per side. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon couscous onto plates. Top with tuna and drizzle with lemon aioli.