Don’t let the name fool you. This isn’t a mid-century American canned tuna casserole (although there’s nothing wrong with that) or even a reinterpretation of that beloved everyday dish (although that’s not a bad idea). This is a delicious way to cook a tuna steak that’s a nice alternative to the grilled or pan-seared preparations that are popular these days. The tuna cooks to perfection in a perfectly balanced sauce that also coats a built-in side dish of tender stewed tomatoes and onions. It all tastes like a highly skilled cook put in some serious time.
In reality, though, there’s almost no preparation, all of the ingredients go into the pan raw, and all you do is completely ignore the dish for 25 minutes until it’s ready to serve. The dish is also extremely lean and healthy, and all of the ingredients (except, of course, the fresh tuna) come straight from the pantry. In other words, it’s ideal.
This dish is nice enough for entertaining, but it’s so simple and quick that it’s also ideal for a weeknight family dinner or a weekend lunch. You can go from a cold start to a hot platter on the table in about 35 minutes (with just a few minutes of active work time), so you could stop for fish on the way home from work and have dinner on the table by the time you’d finished your first cocktail.
A simple side of potatoes work well with this, but my favorite way to eat this dish is with a thick slice of French bread toast drizzled with olive oil.
Recipe
(adapted from The Vaison Fishmonger’s Fresh Tuna Casserole in Patricia Wells at Home in Provence, serves six)
Ingredients
1 tuna steak, about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) thick, about 2 pounds (1 kg)
3 – 4 small onions, peeled and cut into sixths or eighths
1 can (28 oz, 800 g) whole tomatoes in their own juice
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Bouquet garni: several parsley stems, celery leaves and a few springs of thyme, tied up in the green part of a leek (if you have one on hand)
2 teaspoons of best quality sherry or red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Choose a skillet just larger than your tuna steak. Generously season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper.
2. Place the tuna in the pan and tuck the onion slices around it.
2. Cover with the tomatoes and juice, pour over the olive oil and sprinkle the capers over the steak. Tuck the bouquet garni into the juice.
3. Cover and simmer over low heat until the tuna is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Drizzle the vinegar over the tuna, cover and let the pan rest off the heat for a couple of minutes to allow the tuna to absorb the vinegar.
Serve immediately.
