Seared Tuna In Black Pepper Crust
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh tuna in one thick piece
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 pound fresh spinach, well rinsed, dried and trimmed of heavy stems
- 1 cup cooked white beans (cannel- lini beans)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Beat the lime juice, marjoram and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together.
- Set aside.
- Trim any dark areas from the tuna, then cut it into four equal pieces, trimming them a little if necessary to make four rectangular logs.
- Press the cracked black pepper over the outside of the pieces of fish.
- Heat all but a teaspoon of the remaining olive oil plus the canola oil in a large, heavy skillet.
- When the oil is very hot, carefully place the fish in the skillet (to avoid splattering) and sear each piece for barely a minute, then turn and continue to sear the fish pieces briefly on each of the remaining three sides.
- Remove the fish to a warm plate.
- The fish should be rare in the middle.
- Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining olive oil.
- Add the spinach and saute it for a few minutes, until the spinach is barely wilted.
- Add the beans, season with salt and pepper and continue to saute until the spinach is wilted but is still a bright green and the beans are completely heated through.
- Divide the spinach mixture equally among four dinner plates.
- Cut the blocks of seared tuna into slices one-half-inch thick and array the slices on top of the spinach.
- Briefly beat the vinaigrette, then drizzle the vinaigrette around the tuna and the spinach.
- The plates are now ready to be served.
lime juice, fresh marjoram, olive oil, tuna, cracked black pepper, canola oil, fresh spinach, white beans, salt
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4960 (may not work)