Pan-Seared Tuna with Cilantro Lime Dressing

We've just spent our first weekend at the beach and are having a blast being on the coast. The weather is a bit hotter than it usually is this time of the year causing us to spend more time than normal in the ocean. I am definitely not complaining. My nephew just spent his first week at Pawleys officially introducing this beach to a fourth generation of our family. He loved it. 

CT and I love to cook together, so this week I'll be sharing a lot of seafood recipes. First up, is this tuna recipe we made the other night. We love pan-seared tuna and can often have a hard time finding sushi grade in Atlanta. We cooked up this pan-seared tuna with a cilantro, lime, ginger and avocado dressing with some jalepenos to give it a kick. 

Serving Size: 3

Ingredients

3, 6 ounce tuna steaks, sushi grade

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

3 limes, squeezed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 fresh jalepenos, sliced thinly

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp ginger root, grated

2 ripe avocados

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Rinse tuna steak under water and pat dry. Rub with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Mix together cilantro, lime juice, garlic, jalepenos, 1 tbsp olive oil, and ginger root in a blender or salad dressing mixer (I used a Herb 'N Serve). Blend on low speed just to mix without pureeing.

3. Cut avocado in half long ways, use 1 1/2 in blender mixing in with above ingredients until mixed not blended. (You should still be able to see some of the cilantro leaves)

4. Slice avocado thinly for garnish.

5. Heat skillet over medium heat. Spray pan with cooking spray or small amount of olive oil. Make sure the pan is hot - a good test for this is to drip water and see if it sizzles. Once pan is hot, cook tuna on each side for 2 minutes and add a spoonful of the dressing to each tuna steak while cooking.This will leave the fish red to pink in the middle. As always consuming raw or undercooked seafood, may increase your risk of food-borne illness, and is not recommended for pregnant women, so cook for longer to cook through.

6. Serve with additional dressing and avocado for garnish.

Check back this week - I'll be sharing a How To Cook Crab Legs In 6 Minutes!