Blackend Tuna, On the Grill or On Your Stove

Here's another "fish" post, because we love to eat fish, especially in the summertime! This week, we had blackened Tuna. It was so hot outside, I decided to do it inside, and it worked really well. All you do is buy some Ahi Tuna steaks, and some Paul Prudhomme Blackened Redfish Magic. You need some melted butter -- about 1/2 stick for 3 - 4 small tuna steaks -- and a heavy, hot frying pan. We happen to have a non-stick, stainless steel grill pan, and that works absolutely perfectly! (If you follow my blog and were waiting for salmon spread, I have not forgotten you! I simply forgot to take a picture, so I will be making some very soon, and posting next week, I promise!)

First, you've got to get your pan really, really hot. Get out 2 small, shallow dishes, big enough to hold a tuna steak. Put several heaping tablespoons of the blackening mixture into one. Melt the butter in the other dish, and dip the tuna, flipping to butter both sides. Then, carefully dip the tuna into the spice mixture. Put a drop or two of oil into your hot pan, and lay in the tuna steaks.

Cook them about 2 - 3 minutes on each side and DONE! Delicious, rare, tender, blackened tuna for dinner. How easy is that? Try it w/a fresh salad and my super simple summer dressing, which I have listed below. You will notice that the pesto I posted earlier made a reappearance for this dinner, over linguine instead of ravioli, it's yummy over either.

Super Simple Summer Dressing for Salad

1 large lemon

1 clove garlic

3 - 4 T. extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground pepper

a little salt

2 fresh basil leaves, cut into slivers ("chiffonade" style)

Crush and chop your garlic clove, as small as you can, or grate it into the olive oil. Zest half of your lemon and add it to the jar. Squeeze all of the juice into the oil, being careful to avoid adding the seeds. I use a small sieve over the top of the jar to help me. Add the basil, several grinding of fresh pepper and a pinch of salt. Put the lid on the jar and shake, shake, shake it until well blended. Pour and enjoy.