BLACK PEPPER AND CORIANDER-CRUSTED TUNA WITH ORANGE AND FENNEL-ROASTED POTATO SALAD

Black Pepper and Coriander-Crusted Tuna with Orange and Fennel-Roasted Potato Salad image

Categories Cookies Salad Pepper Potato Roast Orange Tuna Coriander

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

2 pounds red or white boiling potatoes, washed
8 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
1 tablespoon grill seasoning such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, a palmful
1 fennel bulb, fronds trimmed and chopped, the bulb quartered, core removed and discarded, quarters thinly sliced lengthwise
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped, about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (eyeball it)
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground coriander, a palmful
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper, a palmful
4 1 1/2-inch-thick tuna steaks

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Cut the potatoes into wedges and drop them onto a cookie sheet. Coat the potatoes in 3 tablespoons of the EVOO. Season the spuds with the grill seasoning. Roast the potatoes, turning them once, for 25 minutes, until tender and brown at the edges and a bit crusty.
In a large salad bowl, combine the fennel fronds, thinly sliced fennel, red onion, basil, and parsley. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest and juice with the Dijon mustard and a little salt and pepper. In a slow steady stream, whisk in 3 tablespoons of the EVOO. Pour the dressing over the fennel salad, toss to coat, and reserve.
When the potatoes have about 10 more minutes to roast, start the tuna. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, coriander, and coarsely ground black pepper and a little salt. Pat the tuna steaks dry and then coat them in the flour mixture, pressing it in lightly. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO, twice around the pan. When the pan is very hot, add the steaks. Sear and brown the tuna steaks for 2 minutes, then turn, and immediately reduce the heat to medium. Loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and cook the steaks 5 minutes for rare, 7 minutes for medium. The steaks should be firm but have a little give, and some pink should remain at the center.
Remove the roasted potatoes from the oven and add them to the dressed fennel salad, tossing to combine. Taste them for seasoning and add a little salt and pepper if you want. Serve the tuna steaks alongside the orange and fennel-roasted potato salad.