Pan-roasted Tuna With White Beans

[FryBoy]

This is a great way to prepare fresh tuna (Ahi, not canned tuna). The pan roasting produces a wonderfully moist piece of fish that's crisp on the outside, and the very flavorful Mediterranean-style white beans are a great accompaniment.

PAN-ROASTED TUNA WITH WHITE BEANS
Four Servings

WHITE BEANS:

1 Cup dried small white beans
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
1 Large carrot, cut into a-inch dice
1 Celery rib, cut into a-inch dice
1 Large clove garlic
1 Teaspoon dried thyme
½ Teaspoon dried oregano
1 Bay leaf
3 Medium yellow or red bell peppers, cut into a 1/3-inch dice
4 Cups chicken broth
Salt & black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
2 Teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar

TUNA:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 6-ounce tuna steaks, about 2 inches thick
Salt & coarsely ground black pepper

BEAN PREPARATION:

Rinse beans. Either soak overnight in 4 cups water, OR bring to boil, turn off heat, & cover for 1 hour. Drain & rinse.

Melt butter in 4-quart saucepan and saute onion, carrot, & celery until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, & bell peppers; saute another minute.

Add broth and beans. Bring to boil, partially cover, and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Some liquid should remain.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, stir in parsley, rosemary, olive oil and vinegar.

TUNA PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Season one side of tuna with salt and lots of pepper.

Heat oil in heavy cast-iron skillet. Saute fish over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side until just browned on all sides.

Transfer skillet to oven and cook fish for another 6 minutes or until it feels firm but is still pink in center.

SERVICE:

Spoon beans onto plates and set the tuna on top, peppered side up.

Serve with medium-bodied, fruity red wine.

[buckytom]

thanks fryboy, this looks really good. i think i'll try it with shrimp, since i've been hooked on a local restaurant's gamberi e fagioli lately.

[cjs]

"gamberi e fagioli" - now why have I never combined those two before?? That sounds good. Would you use sage and/or rosemary as an herb with that? maybe a little lemon zest...I have to play with this.

The tuna combination sound tasty too!!

[ironchef]

The prep for the beans sounds good--I would probably use cannellini beans--but 6 minutes in the oven with the ahi is too long IMO. If one doesn't like their tuna too rare then I guess it would be fine though.