Recipe: Aromatic Seared Tuna with Green Beans, Zucchini Pancakes & Mustard Pan Sauce

One of my more popular summer-time dishes I offer to clients is my Aromatic Tuna with Green Beans, zucchini pancakes with mustard pan sauce. My clients seem to really enjoy the simplicity of this dish. By showcasing fresh, high quality ingredients you can’t go wrong. And it doesn’t hurt that this is definetly a less than 30 minute meal preparation.

Aromatic Tuna with Zucchini Pancakes, Green Beans & Mustard Pan Sauce
(serves 2)

• 1 lb. center cut tuna
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 T. finely chopped rosemary (almost like dust)
• 1 egg
• 3 T. APF
• 1 small zucchini, brunoise
• 2-3 T. of crème, stock or water
• 1 handful of green beans
• 2 T. unsalted butter
• 2 T. mustard (grainy dijon is good)
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 T. unsalted butter

1. Combine the lemon zest, rosemary and 3-5 T. canola oil in a bowl, set aside.
2. Remove the chain along the tuna center cut. Cutting away the ‘fatty, light pink’ portion and leaving about a 4 inch thick and 7 inch long piece of tuna tenderloin. Cut it in half, evenly, making 2 equal pieces (each piece as close to a perfect square as possible). Place each piece the lemon-rosemary-canola oil mixture, toss to coat and let sit.
3. In a medium bowl combine the egg, flour, zucchini, crème (or stock, water, e.g.), whisk together and salt and pepper to taste. It should be a slightly thick pancake-like batter. If not, adjust with more/less water or flour. Heat a saute pan on high, add 5-6 T. canola oil and let it get hot, using a ladle (just like pancakes), pour out some zucchini pancakes and let fry until golden brown. Using a spatula, carefully flip them over and fry other side until golden brown. Remove from saute pan and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. If you don’t think the pancakes are cooked all the way through, just microwave them for a minute or two or place them in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until cooked through.
4. Bring a small pot filled with water to a boil. Add 1 T. salt. Drop in green beans and let boil until they turn bring green and are partially cooked through (about 2 minutes). Strain water and beans from pot and place beans back in pot with 2 T. butter, remove from heat and let sit aside.
5. Pour out the remaining oil in your zucchini pancake saute pan and place back on the heat on high. Let pan get very hot, almost smoking. Grab your tuna, dust with salt and pepper and gently toss it in the canola oil-rosemary-lemon zest mixture. Shake them a bit to rid of excess oil, then place in saute pan and sear for 15 seconds, then using a fish spatula, carefully flip in pan and continue to sear all remaining sides in 15 second intervals. If pan starts to get too dark and look like it is going to burn up the ‘goodies’ falling of the tuna while searing, turn the pan down to medium heat. Once both steaks are seared, let them rest on a cookie rack on a cookie sheet.
6. Keep using the same saute pan (only if the pan doesn’t have burnt stuff in it), and turn the heat down to medium high (if you haven’t already), pour in the stock and allow it to reduce by half. Whisk in the mustard and allow to continue to reduce until there is only about ¼ cup in the pan. Remove it from the heat, whisk in the remaining 2 T. of butter until dissolved.

To serve: Warm the green beans in the pot with the butter, salt and pepper to taste. Place (1-2) zucchini pancakes in center left of the plate, 1 piled on the other, yet slightly the top slightly off center. Place the tuna in the center right of the plate, next the to pancakes. Place the green beans vertically in the center of the plate, in between the tuna and the pancakes. Drizzle the mustard pan sauce over and around the tuna to enjoy.