Pepper-Crusted Tuna Steaks

From the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Serves

6

Introduction

You don’t need an ingredient list a mile long to create glorious food. Quality ingredients, simply prepared, is the secret here. The inspiration for this dish was a casual bistro lunch in Paris of steak au poivre and frites.

Ingredients

	3	Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
	½	cup black olive tapenade (see Cook’s Notes)
	3	Tbsp. kosher salt
	½	cup coarsely crushed peppercorns (see Cook’s Notes)
	6	ahi tuna steaks, about 6 ounces each and 1 to 1¼ inches thick
	4	lemon wedges

Steps

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and tapenade. Mix to blend. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.
2. Light a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas or electric grill. Oil the cooking rack. Mix the salt and crushed peppercorns together and spread the mixture out on a dinner plate. Press each tuna steak into the salt mixture until heavily coated on both sides. Set aside on a plate or platter.
3. Put the tuna on the cooking rack. Cover the grill and cook the steaks on one side for 3 minutes. Turn and cook the second side for about 3 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°F when inserted into the center of a steak.
4. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the olive sauce over each steak. Serve steaks immediately with a lemon wedge on each plate.

Notes

• Serves 4, with 2 steaks reserved for Niçoise Salad. Let them cool, wrap them well, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Tapenade is a coarsely crushed olive mixture used in Mediterranean cooking. It is easy to make your own, but for this recipe we suggest buying prepared tapenade. Look for it in the specialty foods section of a supermarket or other specialty foods stores carrying Italian and Mediterranean ingredients. Once the jar is opened, it will keep for several months stored in the refrigerator.
• Some pepper mills allow you to adjust the grind from fine to coarse. If you don’t have one, place whole peppercorns in a sealed heavy plastic bag and use a rolling pin or a heavy pan to coarsely crush the peppercorns.
• This recipe works equally well as a sauté: Heat a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, until hot but not smoking. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, swirl the pan to coat it, and add the tuna steaks. Follow the same timing as the grill method.

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