Two evening ago, we spent a couple lovely hours social distancing with our good friends Mark and Vicki. Outdoors in their back yard, 6 feet apart. We even brought our own beverages. But as we were leaving Mark presented us with a frozen tuna tenderloin that had been in their freezer since before coronavirus even had a name. (Dirty rotten submicroscopic parasites that they are!) (Not Mark and Vicki! I meant the coronavirus.) Mark and Vicki actually had more tuna in their freezer than they knew what to do with. (We should all have such a problem, right?!) So we thanked them profusely and hurried back home to once more return to coronavirus seclusion. So of course, last evening we had tuna for dinner.

Now I have to admit, I haven’t cooked a lot of raw tuna. I’m much more familiar with tuna that comes in a can. But I knew I didn’t want to mask the glorious flavor of fresh tuna in any way. If anything I wanted to enhance the flavor. So to the computer I proceeded.

One of the first sites that looked promising was a Jamie Oliver YouTube on how to cook tuna steak. After watching how simple it was, I was hooked. And the spices he used sounded just like what I was hoping to find. So a big thank you to Jamie for the spice rub recipe. The tuna was glorious.

As for the aioli. Well I’ve been making aioli for many years now, and this one is a favorite. Very simple to prepare, and absolutely delicious with almost any kind of fish. But with the tuna steaks, it was magnificent!

So a big thank you to Mark and Vicki for sharing their bounty, for being wonderful friends, and hopefully for forgiving me for having a bit of fun (above) at their expense. What are friends for, right?!?!

And to everyone out there in this brave new world, keep cooking, keep laughing, and stay focused on what really matters. Family, friends, and this beautiful season that is fast approaching.

Every year when spring arrives it’s like a new beginning. Yes this year is really different. But if we all work hard, it could be a beginning of something better. Closer relationships with our family members. Greater appreciation of friendships that we might have been taking for granted.  A realization of how much we all need each other. So as always, peace and love to all.

Spice rub:

2 tsp. ground fennel seeds

1 tsp. ground coriander seeds

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper (about a teaspoons worth)

Combine the fennel, coriander, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Aioli:

1/3 c. mayonnaise

2 T. fresh lemon juice

3 T. chopped fresh chives

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made 2 days ahead.

Tuna:

extra virgin olive oil

4-6 tuna steaks (about 1¼ inches thick), patted dry with paper towels

Slather of bit of olive oil on both sides of each tuna steak. Sprinkle some of the spice mixture on one side of each steak. Heat a large frying pan to medium-high. (I use a cast iron frying pan.)  Place each steak seasoned side down. Sprinkle the top of each steak with more of the spice mixture.

Cook the steak on the first side for only about 90 seconds. (The center should be raw, like sushi, or the tuna will be tough and dry. You should be able to see the bottom turning white.) Gently flip the steaks and cook for another 90 seconds. (There should still be red showing along the middle.) Remove from pan and place on a plate. Let rest for 4-5 minutes. (The tuna will not be warm when you serve it.) Pass the aioli.

Note: If you have an outdoor burner on your BBQ or in your outdoor kitchen, now is the time to use it. There is going to be smoke. You can of course use your stovetop. But be warned. Or these steaks can easily be cooked on your BBQ.

Grilling tuna is all about high heat. You want to get a good sear on both sides, then take the fish off the grill as quickly as possible to avoid overcooking the center. I can’t give you exact times for cooking tuna on a grill. Each grill is different. But 2-3 minutes is the usual amount of time. Just watch the sides of the steaks. There should still be some red showing.