Skip to main content

Seared Tuna with Lemon Dressing

Olive oil and lemon with parsley or dill is the standard dressing in Turkey for all grilled and fried fish. The best way to eat tuna is rare—simply seared, with the flesh inside still pink, and almost raw. Serve it with a salad or Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil, Scallions, and Parsley (see page 168).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley or dill
4 thick tuna steaks

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    For the dressing, mix the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and 4 tablespoons olive oil, then stir in the chopped parsley or dill.

    Step 2

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large, preferably nonstick, skillet. Put in the tuna steaks and cook them over high heat for less than 1 minute on each side, sprinkling them lightly with salt. To test for doneness, cut into one with a pointed knife; the time depends on the thickness of the steak. It should be uncooked and red inside. If you prefer it less rare, cook it only a tiny bit longer. You can easily spoil tuna by overcooking it.

    Step 3

    Serve the tuna steaks with the dressing poured over.

Arabesque
Read More
Like tiny tomato galettes and chimichurri grilled shrimp.
Like swordfish steaks with tomatoes and Peruvian-style tofu.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Punchy, make-ahead chimichurri adds a bright, fresh finish to this easy summer dinner.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Thinly sliced and cooked hot and fast, pork tenderloin is the juicy, cook-quicking weeknight champion of this vegetable-heavy stir-fry.
With a crisp crust, garlicky mayo, and a juicy slice of tomato.
The secret to juicy grilled chicken, a sheet-cake swap for banana pudding, and more reasons to light up the grill and have people over all summer long.