GRILLED TUNA WITH RED WINE, CAPER, AND OLIVE SAUCE/THON GRILLE' AU JUS DE RAITO

Grilled Tuna With Red Wine, Caper, And Olive Sauce/Thon Grille' au Jus de Raito image

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

FOR THE FISH:
4 tuna steaks, (each 6 to 8 ounces and about 1 inch thick)
2 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE RAITO:
1/3 cup olive oil, extra-virgin
1 onion, medium, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, fresh, ripe, peeled and seeded, then finely chopped
2 cups dry red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 sprig thyme, fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olives, black, preferably tiny Nicoise, pitted
2 tablespoons capers, drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps:

1. Brush the tuna steaks on both sides with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish, cover, and let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 30 minutes.2. Preheat the grill to high.3. While the steaks marinate, prepare the raïto. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, olives, and capers and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly until the mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.4. Remove the sauce from the heat and discard the thyme sprig and bay leaf. Whisk in the remaining oil and salt and pepper the mixture should be highly seasoned (see Note). Cover and keep the sauce warm.5. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Arrange the steaks, facing in the same direction, on the hot grate and grill until cooked to taste, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare, turning over carefully with a long spatula. For an attractive crosshatch of grill marks, rotate the steaks 90 degrees after the first 2 minutes on each side.6. Transfer the steaks to serving plates or a platter and serve immediately, with the sauce spooned on top.Serves 4Note: Chef Guillet likes the refinement of puréeing the sauce in a blender, adding the olives and capers at the end instead of before the sauce is reduced he returns the sauce to the pan just to heat the olives and capers through. Being a robust sort of guy, I like the gutsiness of an unstrained sauce, but purée it, if you so fancy.

Nutrition Facts : Nutritional Facts Serves