Tuna Livornese

Method

This recipe comes from Beard House chef Amanda Freitag of Gusto in NYC.

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 8 cippolini onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 fresh plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup black olives, pitted
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 six-ounce tuna steaks, about 2 inches thick
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and water and simmer until tomatoes begin to break down and release their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add olives, capers, and parsley and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Season tuna with salt and pepper and add to pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and sear two of the tuna on both sides until rare, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove tuna from pan and place on a serving plate. Repeat with remaining tuna steaks.

Reheat sauce and spoon over tuna. Serve warm.

Yield

4 servings