Herb-Seared Tuna with Caponata and Warm Lemon Creme Fraiche

Yes, we overcooked the tuna. This was upsetting for two reasons:

1) We had at first cooked the piece of meat "perfectly" with a nice red center, clearly just a seared piece of tuna should be. However because I mentioned that it looked "raw" (duh!) Derek stuck it back on the grill to let it cook just a bit more. A few minutes and a few distractions later - the tuna was no longer "perfect"

2) Upon removing the tuna from the grill for the second time, Derek proceeded to make connection between the hot spatula and my wrist, creating a nice "sizzle" to my skin and a painful evening.

Flavors were still great and the base of the recipe, the eggplant caponata, was certainly not messed up - it was awesome!

I used a Tyler Florence recipe that said it served 2. In this case, I'd say that was a bit off as I made a half recipe of the caponata and found that to be PLENTY for Derek and I.

Herb-Seared Tuna with Caponata and Warm Lemon Creme Fraiche
modified from the original recipe HERE - to actually serve 2

Ingredients

Caponata:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Italian eggplant (white)
1 tomato, halved and seeds squeezed out, coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tablespoons capers, drained
1/8 cup raisins
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch sugar
1/3 bunch fresh basil, hand-torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon Creme Fraiche:
1 cups chicken stock
1/2 garlic clove
1/2 lemon, zest finely grated
1/8 cup creme fraiche (I made homemade creme fraiche by adding some lemon juice to heavy cream and letting it sit overnight and throughout the next day)

Herb Seared Tuna:

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sushi-quality tuna loin (we used about 3/4 lb)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, thyme, parsley)

Directions

To make the caponata: Pour the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the anchovies (or anchovy paste) and red pepper flakes and cook and stir for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Fry the eggplant in the anchovy oil, until it gets brown and sticky, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, onion, and garlic, continue to cook until the vegetables break down and soften, about 15 minutes. Toss in the capers, raisins, olives, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and basil; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and slowly simmer until thick, about 20 to 30 minutes. The caponata tastes great hot, cold or at room temperature.


To make the lemon creme fraiche: Put the chicken stock, garlic, and lemon zest in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Simmer gently until the stock is reduced by half and thickened slightly. Take the pot off the heat, fish out the garlic, and add the creme fraiche. Just before you are ready to plate the dish, buzz the sauce with a handheld blender until it's thick and frothy. (This didn't work out so well for us...I think we overblended it and didn't use the right kind of bowl from the beginning)


To make the tuna: Rub a little olive oil on the piece of tuna. and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Put the chopped herbs in a flat dish and roll in the herbs to coat. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil gets hazy, lay the herb-coated tuna in the hot pan and sear for approximately 1 1/2 minutes on each side; as the tuna cooks, the red meat will become whiter. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and slice.


To serve: Spoon the caponata on the bottom of 2 plates, lay the herb-seared tuna slices around the center, and drizzle the whole thing with the frothy lemon creme fraiche sauce.

Again - looking at the picture, it can easily be critiqued what was not "perfect" - the doneness of the meat (overdone) and the non-existent "foam" - STILL flavors were great and I really enjoyed this meal. The overcooked tuna was still extremely tasty and that's a very easy fix for next time we make this dish - or any tuna dish. If you have fresh fish (which we did - another Farmer's Market pick) then less is more when it comes to cook time.

The lemon creme fraiche had a nice flavor but it was probably not completely necessary. It did add to the dish but I wouldn't miss it if it wasn't there. For the effort it takes to make it, I'd suggest skipping it.

The caponata, however, is a must. The sweet, salty, savory, spicy mix is so nice. Derek doesn't like raisins in cooking but he even added that the slight sweetness to the dish in contrast with all of the other elements was really nice. I would love this on a piece of crostini or with some burratta as an appetizer. It's very verstile and given that it can be served cold, I'd assume you can make a decent sized batch and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days of enjoyment!