During the long, hot days of summer sometimes all you need for a good, light meal to finish off the day is a fresh salad served with a piece of meat hot off the grill. While beef and chicken are probably the most popular choices, I especially love using tuna for this type of dish. Widely available in both fresh and frozen forms, this high-protein and low-fat fish is ideally suited for grilling.
In this quick and easy recipe, a delicious Asian influenced soy and citrus marinade gives some very bright flavor to the fish and creates a great dressing for the salad as well.
To get started you will need to gather the following ingredients:
- 4 6-ounce tuna steaks
- 1-pound organic baby arugula
- 16-20 Mandarin orange segments
- 4 radishes sliced very thin
- For marinade/dressing:
- 1/4 cup peanut oil
- 4-6 limes’ juice and zest
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 T Thai chili paste
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
First combine marinade ingredients is a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Divide the marinade in half. Reserve one half to be used as your salad dressing. Place the tuna steaks in a sealable plastic bag and pour the remaining marinade over them. Seal the bag and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. While the fish is marinating, preheat your grill on high. Scrape the grates clean and lightly coat with pan spray or oil to prevent sticking.
After the 30 minutes remove the tuna from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. With your grill on med./high heat, grill tuna about 3-5 minutes per side depending upon desired doneness and the thickness of the steak. To create nice grill marks, give the tuna a quarter turn halfway through each side. When ready remove from heat.
To serve, lightly toss the arugula with the reserved marinade. Slice the tuna as desired; I like about 1/4-inch thick. Place a quarter of the arugula on each of four plates to create a nice bed. Then arrange the tuna atop the arugula and garnish with the orange segments and sliced radishes. Drizzle with any remaining dressing and enjoy!
Josh Auerhammer is the chef/owner of Culinary Design Studio in Bigfork.