Weekend herb blogging: Seared tuna with tomatoes and basil

It's Saturday, so that means Weekend Herb Blogging has arrived.  One of my favorite combinations is tomatoes and sweet basil.  And I'm a long time tuna fanatic. Seriously, I have eaten so much tuna in my lifetime, I must have ingested pounds of mercury over the years. I should be able to take a person's  temperature by sticking my finger in their mouth.  This recipe for seared tuna with basil and cherry tomatoes grabbed my attention as soon as I saw the picture in Martha Stewart Living.  If you head over to Kalyn's Kitchen  you will see the other herb bloggers linked to her site.  Great recipes can be found there.

One thing I liked about this recipe was the cherry tomatoes. They have a nice visual appeal and are sometimes better than the red tennis balls labeled as tomatoes in the grocery store.  My produce section had grape tomatoes that looked pretty good, but they turned out to be disappointing--hard, with little juice.  As a result, the tomatoes didn't rupture the way the recipe intended. With thinner skinned tomatoes, the sauce would have been better. I wound up mashing some of the tomatoes in an attempt to make their skins break.  With better tomatoes this recipe would be fabulous. 

The tuna in the recipe is seared, to keep it rare in the center.  Tuna tastes much better to me when it's still pink in the center after it's cooked.  Tuna often seems more like meat in texture and can be dry if it's cooked until well done. 

Despite my almost predictable problems with the tomatoes, the dish did taste good. The tomatoes finally gave up some juice, if grudgingly, and the basil tasted just the way sweet basil should. The smell of basil is always wonderful, reminding me that summer will be here soon.  Oh--remember to keep your mouth closed as you bite into the cherry tomatoes. Those little suckers can spray juice all over the place.

Seared tuna with tomatoes and basil  (Martha Stewart Living)

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds tuna (1 inch thick), cut into 1 inch chunks
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups (about 12 ounces) small cherry tomatoes. If the tomatoes are thick skinned, cut in half.
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 sprigs fresh sweet basil, chopped coarsely

1.    In a 12 inch skillet, heat 1/1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.  Season tuna generously with salt and pepper. Arrange half of tuna in a skillet in a single layer to prevent crowding.  cook, turning once until golden brown on top and bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, 3 minutes total. Do not over cook.  Tuna should be slightly pink inside.  Transfer to a platter.  Cover to keep warm.  Add more oil to skillet and cook a second batch.

2.    Wipe out bottom of skillet. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the onion.  Cook over medium heat, stirring, until onion is golden brown and soft, 4 to 8 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and wine, and simmer, stirring often, until the tomato skins start to wrinkle, about 2 minutes.  Cook at a bare simmer until the sauce starts to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes more. Add basil to the skillet, and cook, stirring, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hot sauce over tuna before serving.

Comments

[kalyn]

I really love tuna too. If I'm having sushi one of my choices will always be spicy tuna roll. This looks just wonderful.

[Cate O'Malley]

That looks so hearty and delicious - thanks for sharing!

[Sueko McLane]

This tuna sounds delicious and I'm sure it is. The combination of tuna, tomatoes, onion and basil is great. Thanks for the good recipe!

[sher]

Kalyn,

Ahhh, I love that soft toro tuna that they use for the sushi, it's like butter.

Cate, I love your name (I'm Irish-American, middle name is Colleen),

This was so easy to make. You barely cook the meat because it sears so fast.

Sueko,

Yes, the combo of the basil/onions/tomatoes is so reliably good. And I just flat out love tuna!

[Glenna]

Oh Gawd, Sher!

That looks divine. Will you come be my personal chef so I can eat healthier instead of shoving in my mouth whatever happens to be in my backpack at the moment?

Glenna

[sher]

Glenna,

Yes, I will be your personal chef, if you pay me lots and lots of money. And make me cake.

[Glenna]

You are on!

Well for cake anyway. Money...not so much of that lying around until I sell my novel to Hollywood and get to wallow in cash. Snort. Oh. Do I have to finish writing it first for that dream to have a chance of coming true? Sigh. There's always work involved. I hate that about earning a living.

[Sarah C.]

That looks delicious...I love fresh tuna, especially served with tomatoes or in sushi(hate the canned stuff though). Yum.

[mae]

This looks like a delicious recipe. I could really eat this with rice. now. The tuna looks just how i'd like it - pink inside! Yummmm