Grilled Tuna with Romesco Sauce
Sauce:
- 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, stemmed and seeded
- 1 ancho pepper, soaked in warm water to cover until tender (about 30 minutes), drained, stemmed, and seeded
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¼ cup almonds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, toasted
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Pinch of hot red pepper flakes (optional)
- Four 5-ounce tuna steaks, approximately 1½ inches thick
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika, preferably Spanish
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
When grilling tuna, make the fire as hot as possible. If using a gas grill, turn all the burners to high and allow it to heat with the lid down for 15 minutes.
- Combine all the romesco sauce ingredients except the salt and hot pepper flakes in a food processor and process to a coarse purée. Season with salt to taste. Add the red pepper flakes, if desired.
- Prepare a hot fire in a grill. A grill is hot when you can hold your hand near the grilling surface for no longer than a count of 2 before having to pull it away.
- Season the tuna with salt, pepper, and the paprika. Brush with the oil. Grill on each side for 3 to 3½ minutes for rare (red in the center), about a minute longer for medium-rare (a trace of red, but mostly pink), or until cooked to desired doneness. Check for doneness by cutting into the center with the tip of a sharp knife and judging the color. Tuna’s transition from red to pink with-some-red occurs quite quickly; also keep in mind with-some-red occurs quite quickly; also keep in mind that the tuna will continue cooking once it’s off the grill, and that cooking time will also vary according to the thickness of the tuna steaks. Err on the side of underdoneness. It’s a small matter to return a piece of tuna to the grill if it’s too rare. However, the only thing to do with overcooked fish is to throw it away.
- Serve immediately, accompanied by the romesco sauce.