Grilled Tuna with Sweet Potato Mash & Tangy Fennel Salad

This dish is the perfect start to summer. The flavors meld together so well that while I'm eating, I can see myself sitting at a restaurant along the beach, watching the waves burst against the beach. The dish may sound complicated but rest assured, it's not. It's fun and easy to make and it will WOW your guests or your family.

                                                                                  Ingredients:

- 2 Tuna Fillets
- 1/2 bulb fennell
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 1/2 small white onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lemon
- olive oil
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Bulgarian Feta Cheese
- 1/4 cup milk (your choice)
- Fresh Italian flat leaf parsely
- Fresh basil

To Make:

Start by boiling a medium pot with salted water. Peel the sweet potato and chop into large chunks. Once the water is boiling, add the sweet potato and boil for 10-12 minutes until the sweet potato is fork tender. Shut off and leave sit in water until ready to use.

In the meantime, saute the onions, garlic and jalapeno in olive oil for 5 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a large grill pan for the tuna. Allow this to heat up while you prepare the fennel salad.

To make the salad: Thinly slice the fennel bulb and yellow bell pepper into long thin strips. Place into a large bowl. Add in a few of the flowery pieces of the fennel into the salad for an extra blast of color.


To make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, squeeze the juice of an entire lemon, add 2 tbsp. olive oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of freshly grated black pepper, 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsley and freshly chopped basil. Whisk together and toss over top salad. Set aside.

Season the tuna fillets with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place them gently on the hot grill pan. Cook 2-5 minutes on each side depending on how well-done you prefer. This dish was 2 minutes on each side.

While the tuna steaks are cooking, drain the sweet potatoes and add into a large bowl. Add in the feta cheese, milk and 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Using a mixer, mix on high for 2 minutes. Then mix in the sauteed jalapeno, onion and garlic mixture.

To Plate:

Arrange the sweet potatoes in the center of the dish. Place a tuna fillet over top. Top with fennel salad and serve.

Honey Mustard & Sesame Tuna Steaks

Thank you Ashley Ball for sharing this awesome Tuna recipe with me! These steaks were the BOMB... and the honey mustard was outstanding! I would recommend making this on the grill since the sesame seeds can burn, but if you don't have a grill, then just add the sesame seeds at the end.

Ingredients:
- 4 8ounce Tuna steaks
- Black sesame seeds
- Honey Mustard (your preference)
- Salt
- Pepper

To Make:
Heat your charcoal grill until ready. In the meantime, season the steaks with salt and pepper and slather honey mustard on both sides. Cook on the grill between 3-6 minutes on each side, (depending on how you prefer your tuna cooked) and cover the grill.

Remove from grill, sprinkle sesame seeds on both sides and serve with a side of honey mustard for dipping.

I also served this dish with my Rice and Peas recipe.

Grilled Tuna with Roasted Vegetables

This dish is such a crowd pleaser! The combination of the sweet and succulent vegetables with the grilled tuna, it's such a winner and great for the winter months.

Ingredients:
- 8 pieces of Tuna (4 oz each)
- 6 carrots, peeled and sliced longways
- 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
- 8 garlic cloves, whole
- 1/2 broccoli head, stems removed
- olive oil
- soy sauce
- salt
- pepper

To Make:
Heat oven to 355 degrees.

On a large roasting rack, drizzle about 1/2 cup of olive oil on the bottom and arrange the veggies overtop. Season with salt and pepper and mix together on the pan making sure that every vegetable is coated with olive oil.

Roast the veggies for 45 min to 1 hour, depending on how quickly your oven cooks. Test a carrot before removing... if they are too crunchy, leave in for another 15 minutes. If they are soft yet still firm, they are perfect. Be sure to watch these as some pieces will burn if they are cut too small.

10 minutes before the veggies are ready to come out, begin marinating the tuna steaks in soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Let them marinate for 5 minutes. While mariniating, heat a large skillet with olive oil on the stove. Gently place each tuna steak into the pan, using caution as the olive oil may splatter.

Cook each tuna steak 2 minutes on each side (or however you prefer your tuna cooked)

Remove the veggies and the tuna. On a large serving dish, arrange the tuna in the middle and the veggies all around.

Serve buffet style.

Pan Seared Tuna

Tuna is probably my favorite fish... I just really enjoy the flavor, texture and variety that comes with tuna. However, when I'm making tuna for myself, I enjoy keeping it simple and quick. Since it's a little cold to be grilling outside, I took my tuna grilling indoors and prepared it in my "grilling pan." I must say, I really outdid myself this time... this tuna is PERFECT!

Ingredients:
- Tuna steaks, 4 ounces each
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper

To Make:

In a grilling pan, pour some olive oil in the center and heat the pan on the stove on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes.

In the meantime, dress each tuna steak with a 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, a generous squeeze of half of a lemon and salt and pepper.

Gently place each tuna steak directly into the olive oil and saute on each side on medium high heat for 2.5 minutes each side. On the second flip, turn the stove off after 1.5 minutes and cover the tuna for the remaining minute.

Note: this will cook the tuna to medium rare. If you prefer a more "done" piece, then cook longer on each side.
Top with another squeeze of lemon and serve immediatly.

I served this with peas and carrots sauted in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.