Tuna Steak In Sofrito & Asparagus

A big welcome to you all!  Tonight I had a hankering for tuna.  Surprisingly in my household my children and myself love this versatile fish.  Most people don't really get a taste for tuna because one would associate it with tuna salad sandwiches.  At least that is how I saw it.

The think I like about Tuna is that it steak compared to most fish that tent to flake into small bits.  This fish can grow up to over 500 lbs. (I feel like shrimp next to it...:|).  There are five types of tuna, Bluefin, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Albacore and Skipjack.  I tend to lean towards yellow or blue fin tuna.  If you are a sushi eater, then I recommend the blue fin tuna if you can find it (melts like butter on your tongue).

So tonight because I had some yellowfin I purchased from Whole Foods, that's what i'm going to use.  I also made a topping for my tuna because I cooked my tuna  a little more than rare and did not want to have it dry.  For this I made a was is called a sofrito.

Sofrito

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Sofrito is a latin american essential.  This is a base for many dishes.  Of course there are different types of sofritos, depending on the region one is from.  The base of the sofrito is tomato, onion and garlic.  Some will add in chili peppers or bell peppers or even cilantro.

Now that you know what a sofrito is, I think you can decide on a side dish.  I chose to go with Asparagus since it's what I had available in my fridge. I will explain how I prepare that as well.  So let's get started!

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Ingredients:

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• 1 Medium Onion
• 4 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Sprig Basil
• 3 Large Cloves Garlic
• 4 - 5 Tuna Steaks
• 2 Bunches Asparagus
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Salt & Pepper To Taste

​Let's start by dicing up the onion.  Put a Medium pan to heat over a low flame and add in some EVOO to coat.

Add a small dash of salt and pepper.  I tent to season as I go so that I don't get under flavored.  Another thing to keep in mind is that the salt will help bring the onion to a sweat to cook faster.

Allow the onions to slowly clarify as this will give you time to prepare your next items. just stir every so often. 

While the onions are cooking, dice up the tomatoes, garlic and chiffonade the basil.  I am making a slightly wider cut on the chiffonade so that the basil does not disappear into my sofrito.

The onions should be just about right.  Add in the remaining ingredients, add more salt and pepper to the mixture.   Season with a dash of cumin and paprika, Stir and allow this to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.  This will allow you time to prepare the next item. 

Clean you asparagus by rinsing and cutting off the fibrous ends ( about 1 1/4" in). 

Place a large pan over low/medium heat and coat with EVOO.

Place the asparagus in the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Also add in the butter.  give them a quick turning and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.  You will know they are done cooking once the are fork tender and a vivid green.  I don't add much more seasoning to this because asparagus has a wonderful flavor all on it's own.

Finally ready to start on the tuna steaks.  Season both sides of the steaks with salt and pepper to taste. 

We are going to use the same seasoning to tie our flavors together by adding a dash of cumin and paprika to both sides of my tuna as well. 

Add some EVOO to the pan and head on a medium flame.  Add you steaks to the hot pan and allow to cook on each side for about 2 minutes each side if you want it rare in the middle (I prefer them a little a little more well done so I leave them a bit longer).  

It's serving time!

Serve your sofrito over your tuna steak with a side of asparagus.  Optional: serve over a bed or rice. 

This meal is perfectly paired with a nice Rosé wine.

Be ready it's full of flavor!


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A post shared by Tantalizing Morsel (@tantalizingmorsel) on Oct 31, 2018 at 6:39am PDT