the secret to seared tuna

last night on my way home from work, i stopped at this great little fish market.  they always have beautiful fillets of the freshest fish and seafood.  we've fallen in love with their chilean sea bass, tilapia and decadent lump crab.  (see crab cake recipe here)  but, last night, their massive tuna steaks caught my eye...

despite being very comfortable in the kitchen, fish used to scare me.  it seemed difficult to cook, and i would psych myself out of buying it.  but, i've realized, since frequenting the little fish market, that the freshness and quality makes a huge difference.  their fish is sooo much better than what you'll find at the grocery store counter.

the players:

2 sushi grade tuna steaks
soy & teriyaki
grainy mustard
brown sugar
garlic
orange marmalade
vidalia onion
olive oil
(romaine & avocado)

anyway, when i got home, i marinated the tuna steaks in a bit of soy & teriyaki mixed with grainy mustard, brown sugar, garlic and orange marmalade.  not too much, but enough to flavor it.

then i sauteed some vidalia onions in a teaspoon of olive oil...and then flavored them with some soy and teriyaki as well. 

once the onions were done, i pushed them to the sides of the pan to make room for the tuna steaks.  i drizzled in a bit more olive oil and then added the tuna.  i seared the steaks for about 1 minute on each side.  they didn't need much time, because they were "sushi grade" tuna, meaning better eaten super rare.  so, DO NOT overcook high-quality tuna steaks.  it destroys their texture and flavor.  (tuna actually tastes fishier the more you cook it.  strange, but true.)

once done, i served them with shredded romaine and mashed avocado seasoned with minced garlic.  (and with skinny girl margaritas...) omg.  yum.

see, cooking fish isn't that bad after all...  plus, it's delicious & super healthy!  bonus!