Faux Gourmet: Seared Tuna Steak

Two minutes, two bucks: the perfect ace-in-the-hole.

Taste & See: It is as cheap as chicken & may actually be easier than heating up frozen vegetables, but definitely has a huge advantage in faux gourmet, the category that most concerns us: seared tuna steak hands down maximize both impressiveness & laziness. For those who read my little fridge challenge from last week, I am sorry to say the photos turned out horribly. I think I cook a little better than I photograph what I cook, or I'm just still getting used to the utter lack of natural lighting in my little NYC box of an apartment. Instead, I will reveal another of my Faux Gourmet secrets: 2 minute seared tuna steak. Seriously. Two minutes and you too can look like you know how to cook.

All you need:
Frozen tuna steak [Trader Joes always has Ahi steaks for about $4.50/lb]
[If you have or want to invest in fresh tuna steak, you can obviously use that instead].

All you need to do:
Throw it in your fridge in the morning so it defrosts and when you're ready for dinner, get a frying pan real hot and toss on the tuna steak for a minute on each side, no oil. That easy.

Well, ok, I like to sprinkle some spices/herbs on top. If I had potted herbs I'd chop up a bit of thyme & rosemary, add some black pepper, and roll the tuna steak over it. Given my lack of natural lighting, my herb garden is now no longer with us.

I do however, have one of those spice roller caddies with about twenty spices hanging out of it- you know, the kind you get for $15 at Costco that has approximately four useful spices and otherwise consists of celery salt and "poultry spice," whatever that means. Well, tonight it meant that for perhaps the first time ever, "Seafood spice" got some play. Seafood spice consists of a mix of salt, paprika, sugar, lemon, black pepper, garlic, onion. You could also just try whatever you have: a little salt, a little pepper, a little something adventuresome.

Whatever you do, let that tuna steak hit the pan and sizzle for a good minute. Flip it over and give it one minute more. That's all, cowboy. Well, use your judgment, of course, and if you don't like it rare cook it as long as you like. But a minute per side is about all you need to sear the outside and keep the inside tender and juicy. It may look more rare than you think you like it but I promise, the inside is going to keep cooking a bit and if you hold yourself back you'll be rewarded for your restraint. Voila: two minutes, two dollars. Even you can do that.


If you really want to get fancy, you can ring your tuna steak [the one below was made with fresh chopped herbs when my kitchen knew better days] with sliced tomatoes, add some of the couscous referred to in Friday Night Food Club, previously, and top with small scoops of chevre [a soft goat cheese] & a dollop of hummus sprinkled with pine nuts. Nothing you can't get at TJs.


If you really want to get technical, here are some more tips:

• Don't cover the tuna or it will get hard
• Let the pan get real real hot before you add the tuna for the perfect sear
• Look at the flakes of the tuna to see how far in it has cooked- 1/4 inch all the way around is just about right
  
• Slice the middle to see if it is done- the inside should be red and raw
  

Fellow food blogs share recipes for Tuna 102 [Seared Tuna Steak with Daikon Dressing & with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, respectively] if you want to take it to the next level & turn your new-found tuna searing skills into an entire dish.