Tasty Tuna Skewers

I don’t know if you caught it in the news (granted, there has been much heavier issues on there lately), but New Jersey is partially….underwater. This week has been a little crazy but I finally got a chance to get back to the blog.

I was searching though Hors d’Oeuvres (it is the reason I started this blog!) for a recipe I could blog about that still fit in with my diet and I stumbled upon a tuna skewer recipe that I never paid much attention to….boy, will I now!

These tuna skewers were delicious! The marinade is fresh, light and citrusy with a real sharp note from the garlic and stays that way with each bite. It’s a perfect dish for winter because roasting is a great way to bring out the flavor of out-of-season tomatoes. But don’t discount this for spring or summer either, those bright flavors will really sing with a pitcher of lemonade on your patio!

On to the recipe: It may seem as if there are a lot of steps to this dish, but it really wasn’t all that complicated or that lengthy to put together.

Charbroiled Mediterranean Tuna Skewers with Spicy Roast Tomato Dip copyright Treuille & Bashford-Snell

Yields: 20 skewers

¾ lb tuna steak, 1 inch thick (I went with Yellow Fin)

Pre-soaked Skewers*

For marinade:

1 c basil leaves

1 c parsley leaves

2 garlic cloves

Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

2 T olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

20 large basil leaves

For dip:

6 plum tomatoes, halved

1 red chili, seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 T olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

Salt, black pepper to taste

1. *The recipe calls for 20 wooden skewers, which is great for a party. However, if you’re serving this as an appetizer or even as part of a dinner, I would go with four skewers of five pieces each.

1. Place basil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and juice, oil, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender (I found that the food processor works best), pulse to a thick paste.

2. Toss tuna and marinade together in a non-metallic bowl and refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400.
4. Place tomatoes on a sheet pan and sprinkle with chili, garlic, oil, vinegar and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
5. Roast until softened, about 30 minutes.
6. Place in a food processor and pulse until smooth
7. Push through a strainer to remove seeds, add salt and pepper to taste and set aside but keep warm.
8. Take the tuna out of the fridge and cut into 20 one inch cubes.
9. Wrap each tuna cube in a basil leaf and thread one wrapped tuna cube onto each presoaked skewer.

10. Preheat broiler.
11. Broil tuna skewers until cooked through, 2-3 minutes each side**.
12. Serve hot with roast tomato dip.

**You can grill instead of broil, if you prefer that method. Also, I prefer a nice, raw center in my tuna, so I did a minute on each side and they were just perfect.

 The roasted tomato dip was delicious, but I found that the tuna skewers didn’t really need it. I found an even better use for it the next day, which I’ll tackle in my next blog. Here’s a hint: it’s practically the poster child for “playing with your food”.

Give this dish a try and tell me what you think. How do you prefer your tuna? Did you try the tomato dip?

Side Note: I put the recipe in here not because I don’t want to you to get the book. I just want you to try these recipes and get as inspired as I did. I highly recommend this, especially if you enjoy entertaining. If you want to order Hors d’Oeuvres, click here.