tuna steaks

[andrea]

hi all! i just got some tuna steaks over lunch. i want a very quick dinner and easy dinner. how does this sound... marinate tuna in a store-bought mediterranean marinade, pan-sear, and top with a chunky tomato, zucchini, squash, olive, and parsely mixture.
does that sound good? can i pan sear tuna? should it be a little pink in the middle? any help would be appreciated!

[This message has been edited by andrea (edited 11-01-2000).]

[mightyh]

Yes, you can pan sear tuna... If you've got good quality tuna, I think it's best if it's still pink/red in the middle.

Your idea sounds very good... Let me know how it turns out!

[lindrusso]

Sounds delicious.

I'd say you can pan-sear tuna and that the pink in the middle is a matter of preference. Many restaurants insist this is the ONLY way to cook tuna, but I tell them to cook it more anyway and it comes out just fine. I prefer to cook my meat/tuna past the pink point, but that's just me!

[sneezles]

Tuna can be cooked like a steak (I meant to say beef!) so the dgree of doneness depends on the preference of the eater. I've never pan-seared but have done it under the broiler, 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. Your menu sounds wonderful!

[This message has been edited by sneezles (edited 11-01-2000).]

[andrea- home]

me again... from home. well, my menu ended up pretty good. the topping was yummy. the tuna was ok but a little dry. i even added some balsamic vinegar while the tuna cooked. but with the topping the meal was good overall.

thanks for the pan-searing advice... now, any advice on making tuna less dry?

[laden]

andrea-

all you need to do is cook it a little less. That's why restaurants want to serve it still pink in the middle (that's the way I prefer it because it dries out otherwise)

[emilycat]

I used to think I didn't like tuna and mahi mahi, because they were always served too dry for my taste. I don't eat red meat anymore anyway, but I never really liked it, and dry tuna is just too steaky for my taste. Just make sure to cook it less, like laden said -- cut the center to make sure it's pink, but not too pink.

[Pat58]

Aah, tuna steak! A personal fave. Two tips to avoid dryness: first, don't marinate it too long. An acidic marinade will begin to cook the meat and draw out moisture. 20 to 30 minutes is all you need for flavor. Second, sear it for about 3 minutes on each side, then use a knife to cut a slit in the center of a steak and check for pinkness. If it's still way too rare, cook a little longer. I prefer to err on the side of undercooking - you can put an undercooked steak back in the pan, but an overcooked one is done for. My favorite method is to marinate tuna steaks in Angostura low sodium teriyaki sauce for 20-30 minutes then sear them in my grill pan and sprinkle with lots of cracked black pepper.