What the staff eats at restaurants.
Jessica Wilson, sous chef at the new A Voce at Columbus Circle, brings us a recipe that takes advantage of seasonal flavors and decadent restaurant scraps. While you probably don't have ahi tuna trimmings at home, this salad is well worth the purchase. -Helen
When there are good leftovers, making family meal is a dream. We often have really beautiful ahi tuna scraps, but one can make only so much tuna tartar before the mere suggestion of raw fish is met with groans. So, quickly seared tuna atop a bright salad it is.
We always have bitter greens, and this is fresh, easy, and healthier than many family meals. The vinaigrette is clean, the greens are spicy, and the maple mustard sauce helps to both flavor the tuna and wilt the greens. This is best in the early fall, as it makes for a good midpoint between beachfront grilling and wintertime braises.
Serves 4
- 1 pound ahi tuna, in 4oz portions
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 4 fresh mission figs, sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 cups bitter greens (tatsoi, dandelion, or rapini are good options)
- Preheat the oven to 350. Season the tuna portions with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In a medium sized sauté pan, over medium high heat, add ¼ c olive oil, and let it get hot. Carefully place the tuna into the pan. Saute for 1-2 min, and flip. Place 3-4 slices of fig over the cooked side, and dust each portion with 1 ½ teaspoons of thyme leaves. Place in the oven for a few minutes, until the tuna is medium rare, and the figs have gotten warm.
- Meanwhile, combine the maple syrup and mustard in a small saucepan, and heat over a low flame. Turn off heat.
- Place the bitter greens in a big bowl. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, until well dressed and delicious. Put a pile of greens on each plate, and place a portion of tuna on top. Drizzle the tuna with the mustard maple sauce. Enjoy!!
A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).
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