Pan-Fried Tuna Steak With Strawberry Tarragon Relish

Fish is a great diet food—just not the deep friend kind. It's best to pan-fry fish, which means cooking it in a nonstick pan using a small amount of oil. The secret to perfect pan-frying is to make sure that the pan is sufficiently hot and that the fish doesn’t overstay its welcome in the pan.


Serves 2  Prep Time 40 minutes  Cooking Time 6 minutes

2 tuna steaks, about 1- to 1 1/2-inch thick
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup chopped tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley leaves
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon regular olive oil

1  Pat dry the tuna steaks with paper towels.

2  In a bowl, mix lemon juice with tarragon, Italian parsley leaves, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and a few rounds of ground black pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes.

3  Heat pan for 1 minute, pour in olive oil, and continue heating pan for 2 more minutes.

4  Pan-fry tuna steaks for 3 minutes. Then transfer to a plate and serve with strawberry tarragon relish.

To make the relish: In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon. Toss in 12 to 15 strawberries (quartered). Chill and serve with tuna steaks.

Pan-frying tip When pan-frying, heat the pan for a minute, pour oil and heat for another two minutes on the highest flame before frying. Fish steaks take around eight minutes per inch to fry while a whole fish takes 10 minutes on medium heat. For tuna, three minutes on the pan is enough—or else you’ll end up with a tough fish. Marinating it longer than 30 minutes will also make your fish dry. For a welcome change to the usual sauce or condiment, serve the fish with pan juices and a fruity type of salad.

Photography by Patrick Martires

• Ella B. Apr 14 2010 @ 06:21am Report Abuse

     

  Didn't realize strawberries can be used as side dish.