Pan-Roasted Tuna Steaks

Restaurant-style seared tuna with a crisp exterior and a juicy interior. If you like, cook the fish to rare or medium-rare and slice thinly for Sushi Rolls and Bowls salads, or a sashimi-style appetizer. But you’ve got to use very fresh sushi-grade tuna from a reliable source. Other protein you can use: salmon, tuna, or halibut (steaks or fillets), or even lamb.

2 tuna steaks, about 11/2 pounds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Heat the oven to 500°F. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Put a large ovenproof skillet over high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the fish. Cook until browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and transfer to the oven.
• When the fish is done as you want it—anywhere from 3 minutes for rare to 10 minutes for cooked through (a thin-bladed knife will meet little resistance when inserted into the center)—transfer it to a plate, along with any pan juices. Serve whole, cut in half, or thinly slice and serve fanned out on a platter or individual plates so the interior is face up.
  Sesame-Crusted Pan-Roasted Tuna Steaks.
  • Use dark sesame oil instead of the olive oil. Press sesame seeds into all sides of the tuna and proceed with the recipe.
    Miso-Chile Pan-Roasted Tuna Steaks
    • Use peanut oil instead of the olive oil and omit the salt and pepper. Make a paste of 1 cup red miso, 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste. Thin with a little mirin, sake, or white wine as needed, then spread the mixture all over the tuna steaks. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours (up to 24 hours for lamb). Proceed with the recipe.
  • MAKES: 4 servings
  • TIME: 20 minutes