Bobby Flay's Grill It! (16 page)

Grilled Tuna with Grilled Sweet Onion Vinaigrette

Grilled Tuna with Lime-Ginger Butter

Grilled Tuna with Provençal-Style Relish

Three-Chile Glazed Grilled Tuna

Grilled Tuna with Sicilian Sweet-and-Sour Relish

Fennel-Rubbed Tuna Steaks with Saffron–Grilled Red Pepper Sauce and Grilled Oranges

Grilled Tuna Niçoise Sandwich

Growing up, the only tuna I encountered came out of a can. While I have since discovered delicious imported oil-packed varieties, I think it’s fair to say that the sushi craze opened people up to a whole different tuna experience: the raw kind. But there’s a middle step, one between the raw and the preserved, and that’s where my love for tuna lies.

Seared on a hot grill, a thick tuna steak will develop a beautiful crust. Cooking it like a steak to rare to medium-rare always gives the best results with a juicy pink interior. Crusty on the outside, juicy inside, grilled tuna is capable of being both delicate, which it is in flavor, and hearty, as its meaty texture makes even the most highly flavored preparations appropriate. I prefer not to take my tuna out of the refrigerator until just before it goes on the grill. I keep it in the fridge both to maintain its freshness and to help keep the interior cool and stave off overcooking as the exterior is being seared.

Since I do highly recommend that you never cook tuna past medium-rare, it is very important to seek out the freshest cuts. There are several varieties of tuna, among them blackfin, or bigeye; bluefin, which is prized for raw use because of its high fat content; mild yellowfin; and the mildest, least dense kind, albacore. Whichever you choose, make sure that the flesh is firm and glistening, with a fresh, never fishy smell and a clear, bright, deep pink color.

Mild in flavor, meaty in texture, and great as is, a perfectly grilled tuna steak is also a fantastic base for countless tasty combinations of salsas, sauces, and relishes. I look for tuna steaks that are approximately 1 inch thick. Go any thinner than that and the inside will be overcooked by the time the exterior crust develops, and I like my tuna steaks with a cool pink interior and a nice, slightly charred outer crust. Heating your grill to high is a good way to ensure that you’ll get that steak-like crust without sacrificing a medium rare temperature.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to high.
   
2. Brush the tuna on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the fillets on the grill and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the fish over and cook to medium-rare, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
   

This dish was inspired by a trip to Sicily a few years ago. Fennel, oranges, and mint are a classic combination that is served with many fish dishes. I particularly love this relish with the meaty texture of tuna but it would be lovely with any of the fish in the
White Fish chapter
as well as with grilled shrimp and even pork and chicken.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to high.
   
2. Brush the fennel with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until slightly charred and almost cooked through.
   
3. While the fennel is cooking, slice off the tops and bottoms of the oranges. Stand each orange on one flat end and slice off the peel and white pith. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, cut between the membranes to release the segments. Squeeze the empty membranes to release any juice.
   
4. Combine the fennel, orange segments and their juice, red wine vinegar, and mint in a medium bowl, add the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. The relish can be made 8 hours in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature and stir in the almonds just before serving.
   
5. Top the tuna with some of the relish.
   

Because tuna is so meat-like, it can stand up to this vinaigrette. I love sweet onions and use them in many of my recipes. If you can’t find sweet onions in your market, you can definitely substitute red or yellow onions; just add a little extra honey to the vinegar-oil mixture before adding the onions. This vinaigrette would also pair well with pork, beef, or chicken.

Serves 4

1. Heat your grill to high.
   
2. Brush the onion slices on both sides with 3 tablespoons of the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove from the grill, let cool slightly, and then coarsely chop.
   
3. Whisk together the vinegar, honey, extra-virgin olive oil, thyme, and parsley in a medium bowl. Add the onions and stir to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. The onion vinaigrette can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.
   
4. Spoon some of the sauce over each tuna steak just as the tuna is removed from the grill.
   

Think of this lime-ginger butter as
beurre blanc
without the hassle. It has the same ingredients as are found in the classic French butter sauce—shallots, acid, and butter—but prepared quickly in a food processor and not on top of the stove. Once the flavored butter hits the hot tuna, it melts into a smooth, creamy, full-flavored butter sauce. If you have extra limes on hand,
grill them
and serve alongside for squeezing on top.

Serves 4

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the shallot and ginger and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lime zest and juice and simmer until the juice is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 7 minutes. Whisk in the soy sauce and honey, remove from the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes.
   
2. Combine the shallot mixture, butter, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the butter into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until it is chilled and the flavors have melded, about 1 hour. The butter can be made up to 2 days in advance. Remove from the refrigerator 5 minutes before serving.
   
3. Top the tuna with some of the butter just as the tuna comes off the grill.
   

Don’t let the French name of this relish scare you; it’s really just a Mediterranean salsa with lots and lots of flavor. Try to make the sauce at least 30 minutes in advance and allow it to sit at room temperature so the flavors can really meld and intensify before serving. You can use this sauce with any fish, and it’s just as good with chicken or served on slices of grilled French bread.

Serves 4

1. Combine the tomatoes, onion, olives, capers, garlic, chopped basil and mint, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.
   
2. Spoon the sauce over the hot tuna steaks and garnish with basil sprigs.
   

It is hard to believe that such a flavorful glaze could be so easy to prepare, but it’s true. I was introduced to habanero powder a few years ago and immediately fell in love with its spicy flavor and floral undertones. Just like fresh habaneros, the powder is assertive; only a small amount of the powder is needed to yield the full impact of the chile. Because tuna has a meat-like taste and texture, it can handle the strong flavor of this glaze; but you could also use it on lamb, chicken, and even beef.

Serves 4

1. Whisk together the honey, mustard, the three chile powders, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using to allow the chile powders to bloom.
   
2. Heat your grill to high.
   
3. Brush the tuna steaks on both sides with the oil and season with salt. Place the steaks on the grill and grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush the top side of the tuna liberally with the glaze, flip over, and continue cooking to medium-rare, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
   
4. Remove from the grill, place glaze side up on a platter, and immediately brush the tuna with more of the glaze.