I wanted a tuna steak that was full of flavor that I could put on top of a mixed salad and make a meal of it. I used tomatoes, cucumber, a couple of kinds of greens, radishes and a dressing of sour cream cut with some white vinegar with a handful of chopped spring onion thrown in. Though this was really good, the fish would stand up to being a proper main course fish as well -- served with crunchy potatoes, or steamed carrots, or creamed spinach for example. This spice crust would work on salmon, pork or beef as well -- it adds texture as well as spice.
It is unfortunate that I overcooked the tuna by about thirty seconds because this tasted really great and certainly elevated what could have been a boring dinner salad to something better. No matter the cooking time, I recommend a non-stick pan for this as tuna will stick if allowed to!
1 tuna steak (5-8 oz)
1/4 tsp each za'atar, dried mustard, ground bay leaf powder, cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
Salt to taste
1 tsp olive oil
Pat the tuna steak dry.
Mix the spices together on a plate with a little salt. Place the tuna on the plate and pat the spices onto all sides of the fish.
Heat the pan until very hot. Add the oil, which will immediately shimmer, and then add the fish.
Cook for a minute on each side for 1 inch thick steaks and two minutes per side for thicker ones for medium rare.
Remove from the heat. Serve as mentioned above or as the protein portion of your non-salad dinner.
