Simple summer salad featuring fresh-off-the-boat tuna

A Sharon Lee’s Table Recipe

Who knew a gift from a friend would net, not one, but two great dishes the second of which was this quick salad whipped up after a busy Saturday. My neighbor Al returned from a fishing trip late one evening with a generous amount of freshly caught tuna that he kindly shared with me and another neighbor.

Al cut each of us a sizable portion of tuna which he told us to ice down and place in the refrigerator overnight. What a great gift!

Next day, I summoned my son Eric – a genius when it comes to cooking fish – who cut four tuna steaks from the piece, set them in a balsamic vinegar based marinade he made, turning them several times. He then seared the tuna in a cast iron pan. The fish was superb.

Lucky for me, there was some tuna left in the remaining marinade in the fridge. I asked Eric to divide it into smaller pieces and sear it to save for the following day. It became the basis for a simple summer salad – one that was light, bright and perfect for a 90 degree day.

Eric eyeballed measurements for the marinade recipe but tells me he loosely based it on one in the “Store to Shore Cookbook” by charter yacht captain Jan Robinson. His version is below.

Seared Tuna

• 4 Tuna Steaks
• 1/3 of a cup olive oil (roughly)
• 2 cloves (or more) of garlic chopped
• 3 or 4 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• A pinch of salt
• Ground peppercorns to taste
• A fresh lemon or two

Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and dashes of salt and pepper. Eric decided to add squeezes of fresh lemon juice. He notes that the marinade-coated tuna sort of caramelized as it browned adding a touch of sweetness. Additional drizzles of lemon juice as the fish cooked added a hint of piquancy.

Obviously, we devoured the great tuna steaks. But I refrigerated the smaller pieces of seared tuna that were left. Making the “second day” salad from ingredients already at hand, including a head of romaine lettuce was easy.

The leftover tuna was just as tasty the second day. Because of the touch of sweetness imparted by the balsamic marinade, I chose to make a balsamic dressing for the salad to which I added chopped onion and green pepper and then tossed in slices of orange, dried cranberries and raisins and walnuts which contrasted nicely with the savory pieces of tuna. My recipe for the balsamic vinaigrette is below.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1 or two cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• 2-3/4 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
• Fresh herbs of your choice (I like oregano, sage, basil, thyme, and chives)

Assemble the ingredients and whisk in a bowl, blend in a blender or shake in a jar.

The ingredients – a plate of tuna pieces, salad greens, chopped pepper and onion, orange slices, walnuts, raisins and cranberries — are then easy to assemble. Though the tuna for the salad was gifted this time, I can envision buying some from a fish market or supermarket fish counter to make this recipe again.

A drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette completes the process.

Bon appetite!

Captain Jan Robinson’s original recipe appearing in the “Store To Shore Cookbook” differs slightly. There are many other tasty recipes of all types in her book which should still be available at About The Author – Ship To Shore Cookbook Collection By Author Capt. Jan Robinson In The Caribbean Island Of St. Thomas Usvi Virgin Island (shiptoshoreinc.com).