Best Tuna Provencal Recipes

GRILLED TUNA WITH PROVENçAL VEGETABLES AND EASY AIOLI

Steps:

• Spray grill with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).
• Brush tuna steaks, zucchini, and eggplant with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until tender and lightly charred, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes. Remove from grill and cut into bite-size chunks. Place vegetables, tomatoes, herbes de Provence, and garlic in large bowl; toss to blend. Set aside. Grill tuna steaks to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Place tuna on plates, top with vegetables, and serve with aioli. * A dried herb mixture; sold in the spice section of supermarkets and at specialty foods stores. If unavailable, a combination of dried thyme, basil, savory, and fennel seeds can be substituted.

PROVENCAL TUNA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Add the red onion; set aside.
• Rub the inside of the bread pieces with the garlic, then with the halved tomato and season with salt and pepper; discard the garlic and tomato skins. Arrange the tomato slices on the bread bottoms.
• Add the tuna to the vinaigrette, breaking it into pieces. Stir in the bell pepper, cucumber, parsley and capers; season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture among the bread bottoms. Close the sandwiches and press down on the bread tops gently. Wrap the sandwiches tightly in plastic wrap and place a heavy skillet on top. Let sit 15 minutes to soften the bread, then unwrap and cut in half.

TUNA SANDWICHES PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Whisk together mayonnaise, capers, mustard, anchovy paste, tomato paste, pepper, and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a bowl.
• Drain oil from tuna into a bowl and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Brush insides of all roll halves generously with mixture.
• Add tuna to mayonnaise mixture and stir to combine.
• Make sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, egg, and tuna mixture on a work surface. Weight sandwiches with a heavy cutting board, large plate, or platter for about 10 minutes.

TUNA PROVENCAL

Steps:

• In a large bowl flake tuna with a fork. Stir in capers, black olives, onion and tomatoes. Pour in oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Season and serve with watercress on whole grain bread. Alternative: Arrange mixed greens on plate and top with a quartered boiled new potato, quartered boiled egg and steamed green beans. In center place a scoop of the tuna salad.

SEARED TUNA WITH TIAN OF PROVENCAL VEGETABLES

Steps:

• For the vegetable tian: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 by 13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the oil with the thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Arrange half of the vegetables in rows in the dish, interspersing the different types until the bottom of the dish is covered. Drizzle with half of the oil mixture. Make a final layer of mixed vegetables, and drizzle with the remaining oil mixture. Cover the top of the vegetables with lightly oiled parchment paper. Bake until the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.
• Remove the vegetable tian from the oven, keep warm in a warm place, and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.
• For the tuna: Season the tuna with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the tuna and cook, turning once, until seared on both sides, about 2 minutes. Uncover the tian and place the seared tuna fillets on top of the vegetables, spacing them evenly. Bake, uncovered, until the tuna is rare to medium-rare, about 5 minutes. Spoon equal amounts of the sauce in the centers of 6 warmed plates. Using a wide spatula, lift portions of the tuna and vegetables and transfer to the plates.
• For the sauce: Place the tomato confit, garlic confit, water, salt and pepper in a blender and process on high speed. With the machine running, drizzle in the oil and blend until the sauce is emulsified, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the parsley and thyme. Set aside at room temperature
• Place the tomatoes in a colander and toss with the salt. Let drain at room temperature for 2 hours. Pat the tomatoes dry with paper towels. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Place the tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary in a nonreactive 2-quart saucepan. Add enough oil to cover the tomatoes. Cover the saucepan and bake until the tomatoes are very tender, but not falling apart, about 3 hours. Drain, discard the garlic and rosemary, and set the tomato confit aside for the sauce. (The tomato confit can be prepared up to 3 days in advance, covered and refrigerated.)
• Place the garlic cloves and 2 cups cold water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain. Repeat the procedure 2 more times. Return the drained garlic cloves to the saucepan and add the oil. Bring to a bare simmer over very low heat. Cook until the garlic is tender, about 40 minutes. Cool completely. Transfer to a 1-pint canning jar, add enough oil to cover the garlic, and seal. (The garlic confit can be prepared up to 3 weeks in advance, covered and refrigerated.)

GRILLED TUNA RICE SALAD PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Combine the rice with 1 1/2 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, cooking a total of 17 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the onions about 1/4-inch thick. Prepare a stove-top grill.
• Wash and dry the tuna. Grill the tuna according to the Canadian rule: measure the fish at thickest part and cook for 8 to 10 minutes to the inch.
• Grill the onions, turning once or twice, until they are soft.
• Wash, trim and coarsely chop the peppers.
• Heat a nonstick pan until it is very hot. Reduce the heat, add oil and saute the peppers until they are soft.
• Mince the garlic, and add to the peppers.
• Wash, dry and chop the oregano, and combine it in a serving bowl with the vinegar, yogurt and mayonnaise. When the tuna is done, cut it up into small chunks and stir the chunks into this mixture. When the onions are cooked, cut them up coarsely and add. Then, add the sauteed pepper and garlic.
• Mix in the rice, and season with salt and pepper.
• Wash, trim and slice the tomatoes, and serve with the rice salad and bread.

TUNA PROVENCAL SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Trim stems from broccoli heads and steam heads until they are tender but still firm, about 5 minutes, depending on size. Drain and cut into bite-size pieces. Drain again.
• Combine broccoli, tuna, olives, onion, marjoram, vinegar, yogurt and mayonnaise and mix well.
• Spread each slice of bread with 1 1/2 teaspoons of mustard.
• Place three slices of tomato on three slices of bread. Top with tuna mixture and remaining bread.

PROVENCAL TUNA MELT

Steps:

• Drain about 1/2 of the olive oil from the tuna. Scrape tuna and remaining oil into a mixing bowl. Add bell pepper, scallions, capers, and thyme. Add lemon juice, mayonnaise, and red pepper flakes. Stir gently to combine.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Lay bread slices crust-sides up on an unlined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Broil until nicely browned, about 1 minute.
• Turn bread slices over with tongs and divide the tuna filling between 2 slices. Arrange Asiago cheese over the other two slices. Return to broiler. Heat until cheese is bubbly and golden brown and filling is hot, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Use tongs to turn the cheese-topped slices over on top of those spread with filling. Slice tuna melts in half and serve immediately.

GRILLED TUNA STEAK WITH SPRING ONIONS AND PROVENçAL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Pat the tuna dry with paper towels and rub with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sprinkle both sides of the tuna with a fair amount of salt and pepper-you should see the seasoning on the fish. Coat the onions in the remaining tablespoon of oil and season them with salt and pepper.
• Preheat an outdoor gas or charcoal grill until very hot or put a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the tuna steaks on the grill and sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, rotating halfway through cooking to "mark" them. As the tuna cooks, the red meat will become whiter; grill for a total of 5 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. A minute or two before the tuna is cooked, toss the spring onions on the grill and char them, turning often so they soften a bit but don't burn.
• To serve, transfer the tuna to a cutting board and cut on a slight angle into 1-inch slices. Fan the pieces on 4 dinner plates, spoon the vinaigrette on top, and serve the spring onions on the side.

GOOP PROVENCAL TUNA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the tuna salad.
• To assemble the sandwiches, spread 4 slices of toast with 1 tablespoon of mustard each. Place a few leaves of radicchio on top of the mustard (cup side up), then place tuna salad on top of the radicchio cups, so the tuna salad rests inside the radicchio. Top each with another slice of bread. Wrap in parchment for your picnic.

PROVENçAL TUNA BURGER WITH ROASTED GARLIC-TOMATO AIOLI

Steps:

• To make the aioli, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the garlic and tomato on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until the tomato is soft and the garlic is light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Slice the tomato in half crosswise and remove the seeds. Set aside to cool.
• Combine the garlic, tomato, lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, and mayonnaise in a food processor and process until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. The aioli can be made up to 8 hours in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Cut the tuna into large pieces and then coarsely chop in a food processor. Do not overprocess. (Alternatively you can chop it by hand with a sharp knife.)
• Whisk together 2 tablespoons of the oil, the mayonnaise, mustard, anchovy paste, vinegar, olives, shallot, and capers in a large bowl. Add the tuna and basil and gently fold to combine. Divide the tuna mixture into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4-inch-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
• To cook the burgers, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a sauté pan or griddle (nonstick or cast iron) until it begins to shimmer. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers until golden brown on the bottom sides, about 3 minutes. Turn over and continue cooking until medium, about 3 minutes longer.
• Spread the aioli on both sides of the rolls and place the burgers and mesclun greens on the bottom halves. Cover with the roll tops and serve immediately.

PROVENCAL TUNA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Add the red onion; set aside.Rub the inside of the bread pieces with the garlic, then with the halved tomato and season with salt and pepper; discard the garlic and tomato skins. Arrange the tomato slices on the bread bottoms.Add the tuna to the vinaigrette, breaking it into pieces. Stir in the bell pepper, cucumber, parsley and capers; season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture among the bread bottoms. Close the sandwiches and press down on the bread tops gently. Wrap the sandwiches tightly in plastic wrap and place a heavy skillet on top. Let sit 15 minutes to soften the bread, then unwrap and cut in half.Source: foodnetwork.comRecipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.

PROVENçAL TUNA MELT

Steps:

• Tuna packed in olive oil is one of the genuinely great things in life. It has a tenderness that the water-packed varieties lack utterly. It costs a bit more, and is worth every penny. The daughter and I became hopelessly addicted to it last summer in Italy and France. We'd buy small cans in 3-packs. We used it in pastas, on salads, and carried it in a backpack for impromptu lunches, knowing we could always score good bread with which to eat it. It's become a pantry staple I wouldn't want to try to do without. To use it here, don't drain the oil off too aggressively. Leave about half of it in the can; it will contribute a lovely silkiness to the filling. Scrape the tuna and oil into a mixing bowl.
• May I tell you about an easy way to break down a bell pepper? Stand it on end, position your knife at the bump of the "shoulder", and slice down, following the curve of the pepper. You'll take off about a quarter of it, and leave the seeds and white pith attached to the center. Slice the pepper into strips, then lay a few at a time on their sides to chop. A knife will cut through the skin much more easily from the side than if you lay the strips skin-side down or up. Especially if your knife isn't, ahem, as sharp as it probably should be. Add the peppers to the bowl.
• Slice the scallions and add them to the bowl. Roughly chop the capers (you're just trying to break them up a bit) and add them to the bowl. Mince the thyme (the stems on my plant in the kitchen window are so tender that I don't even need to pull the leaves off) and add it. Eyeball the mayo, but don't use a heavy hand. You want just enough to bind the mixture. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the red pepper flakes. Gently stir everything together.
• Turn on the broiler. Set a rack a notch below the one right under the broiler; that will let the filling warm and cheese melt without either burning. I prefer broiling the outsides of the bread, then adding the filling and cheese, and passing everything under the broiler again. I love the additional layer of flavor that comes from allowing the cheese and edges of the bread to brown on the inside, rather than simply melt, as they would in a skillet or press. Lay bread slices outsides-up on a baking sheet NOT lined with parchment, for what I trust are obvious reasons. Brush them with olive oil and place under broiler. Don't walk away. They should brown nicely within about a minute. Remove the baking sheet and use tongs to turn over slices of bread. Divide filling between two slices, and arrange cheese on the others. Return to broiler. Heat for about 2 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden brown, and filling has heated.
• Remove from oven, Use tongs to turn the cheese-y slices over on top of those spread with filling. Slice in half, and serve immediately. Pour some glasses of a crisp white wine and raise a toast to global cuisine.