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09/23/2001 Archived Entry: "Provencal Tuna Steaks"

If you don’t like fashionably raw tuna, not just sushi but the “seared” fish that restaurants serve, you will love this recipe. It turns out fully cooked fish that is neither dry nor "fishy.” I think it is moister and better tasting when made a day ahead, so it is even a good fish dish for a dinner party, or for any other reason that you want to have dinner prepared ahead.

I have been making it for years, but haven’t this year. It’s just something I’ve been craving. At the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket, where I shop on Saturdays, I can buy local tuna. I suggest trying the dish while fresh tomatoes are still in season. During the rest of the year, use canned plum tomatoes.

Provençal Tuna Steaks

Serves 4

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 to 2 pounds tuna steak cut 2-inches thick
3 or 4 medium tomatoes, peeled or not, seeded, and chopped (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons tomato paste (I use Sicilian sun-dried paste I buy at an Italian market)
1 cup dry white vermouth
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
15 to 20 fresh basil leaves, torn into strips at the last moment
12 black oil-cured olives
4 anchovy fillets, cut in 1-inch pieces (optional)

In a shallow 10-inch stove-top casserole or a sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are golden, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and chopped peppers and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Push the vegetables aside, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, and sear the seafood briefly on all sides. This is just to stiffen the fish. It will change color but will not brown.

Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste dissolved in the white wine or vermouth, the salt, and the pepper. Lower the heat and cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Check for doneness. When the tuna is cooked, stir in the vinegar, the basil strips, the olives and anchovy pieces. Cook another minute, tossing the added ingredients in the sauce.

Serve immediately or, even better, cool to room temperature and serve or refrigerate and serve the following day. If serving the following day, either reheat very gently, just until warmed through, or remove from the refrigerator an hour or so before serving and serve at room temperature. Serve with bread for mopping up the sauce.