Not REALLY that unlike Tuna Aurudcuci, but mebbe a teeny bit simpler to prepare.
Still quite tasty, tho’.
The original recipe was by Anne Willan, and called Tuna Steak Marchand de Vin (thanks, epicurious.com) – roughly Wine Seller’s Tuna – and I liked the fact that it was flexible in the herbs used – I chose parsley and thyme ’cause that’s what I had fresh.
That flexibility led me to assume that I could, shall we say, fiddle a bit with the wine selection as well. Since it was a simple Monday night dinner chez nous, I didn’t feel like opening a bottle of wine just for the cup needed for the tuna. Yes, I could’ve certainly just served the rest and called it an evening, but Monday’s treat is ice cream during Castle, so I opted to use a bit of the very pleasant red vermouth I keep on the counter for just such an emergency – and, it just so happened I was using that self-same vermouth in the French onion bread pudding that was to be served on the side, so it all kinda worked out. I do love it when a plan comes together…
INGREDIENTS
•4, 5 oz tuna steaks – I used one packet of 3 frozen Ahi steaks (thawed) from Target
•2 tbsp olive oil
•1 onion, chopped
•2 cloves garlic, diced
•1 cup red wine – I used that sweet vermouth, Ms. Willan recommends Merlot, and next time I might try a Malbec
•Fresh herbs – 3 or 4 sprigs of any you have on hand; parsley, thyme, basil, chives, oregano
•Salt and pepper
Season the tuna with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the seasoned tuna. Cook over high heat for two minutes, then turn and brown the other side; 1 to 2 minutes for rare tuna, 3 to 4 for well-done. Since this was frozen tuna, I opted for more on the well-done side.
Remove the tuna to a dish and keep warm.
Add the onion and garlic and sauté for two minutes. Add the wine and boil rapidly until it is reduced by half.
Add the herbs and taste for seasoning (I though it just about perfect). Drizzle the sauce over the tuna and serve – or – I popped the tuna back into the pan with the sauce while I gathered the rest of dinner together:
Wine seller’s tuna, French peas, and French onion bread pudding – not too, too bad for a Monday night dinner.