Tuna Three Ways

Tuna is something that I predictably order every time it's on the menu at a restaurant but have always been scared of making at home. So when we impulsively brought home a package of fresh tuna steaks from our weekly Costco date, I was a little apprehensive about actually preparing it.

Turns out, tuna is ridiculously easy to make. We put together a little experiment with the three tuna steaks that we purchased, seasoning each one with a different Penzey's spice (Southwest Seasoning, Chicken Taco, and Cajun), and cooking two on a cast iron griddle (for pancakes) and the other on an stainless steal skillet. We both took on the big chef role (this only worked because we each got our own steak, otherwise, two big chefs in our kitchen is disastrous).

Ingredients

Tuna steaks

Vegetable Oil
Seasonings

Instructions

1. Dry the tuna with a paper towel to soak up the excess moisture.

2. Coat them with a bit of vegetable oil (just to help the seasoning stick).

3. Cover with preferred seasoning (you can use black pepper, Penzey's chicken taco, whatever you like).

4. Cook on high heat for 30 seconds. Turn down heat (to medium) and cook for an additional 1.5 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook other side for an additional 1.5 (for rare) to 3 minutes (medium-rare). Cook a little longer if steaks are thicker than 1. 5 inches or if you would like them closer to medium done.

Results:


I felt like the chicken taco seasoning was the clear winner of the three. It had the right spicy/salty balance that didn't overpower the tuna. Cajun turned out to be a bit too spicy, and although southwest was good, it didn't live up to the chicken taco.

As far as the two different pans, I felt that the stainless steal griddle got a better sear and a slightly crispier exterior (which I preferred). Even though we cooked all the steaks for the same amount of time, the stainless steal cooked them more thoroughly and closer to medium than medium-rare.

Lessons learned:

1. Fish is not as scary to cook as I think it is.

2. Although we made this plain, a fruity salsa or side dish would have been a nice addition. Tonight, I think we'll have a salad and some sweet potato fries with the leftovers.