Thon saisi a feu vif

Sunday nights are usually reserved for quick and easy suppers. I sell concessions at a theatre a quick subway ride from home (and located delightfully close to Trader Joe's), so I make it home around 7.30 at the earliest and don't want to waste too much time before eating. This often means an easy one-pot meal, but some nights, when I'm feeling a little more energetic and have planned ahead enough to pick up supplies during the day in Chinatown or made a quick stop at TJ's on the way home, I do manage to make two dishes.

Last Sunday was one such day. I had ahi tuna on the brain and, early Sunday morning, set off in search of it in Chinatown, Ozzy in tow. The first fish store (and the one I most often frequent) had no tuna. The second only had frozen tuna, which, he assured me, was too hard for him to cut. The third place only had whole tuna, not something I was interested in dealing with. Finally, at the fourth fish store, I found a big hunk of tuna of which the fishmonger cut me a 1-pound piece. Because of the language barrier, and my lack of knowledge of the various types of tuna that are to be found around here, I don't actually know if this was ahi tuna , but whatever it was, it was wonderful. I promptly brought it home and tossed it into the refrigerator until dinnertime.

Once I came home, TJ's bags in hand, I recreated Elise's recipe for Seared Ahi Tuna as faithfully as I know how. I've reproduced it below, with my (minor) adjustments. Of course, if you are cooking the tuna as little as I did (since it is really raw on the inside), make sure you know and trust your fishmonger. I served the tuna with steamed artichoke hearts. Enjoy!

Seared Tuna

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ginger root, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 green onion, sliced, darkest green part minced and reserved
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tuna steaks, 1/2 pound each

Mix everything but the tuna in a ziploc bag. Add tuna, seal bag well and massage marinade ingredients into the tuna through closed bag. Refrigerate and let marinate 1 hour.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add tuna and marinade when skillet is hot but not quite smoking. Sear 1 minute on each side.

Remove from pan and slice tuna on a bias, as you would a steak. Serve with cooked garlic and green onion pieces and with the reserved, minced green onion sprinkled on top. This was delicious with a pinot noir.

Links to other tuna noshes:

• Seared Tuna with Avocado from Simply Recipes