This fresh and simple dish is perfect for late spring and early summer. A quickly seared tuna loin is melt-in-your-mouth juicy, can be cooked in minutes, and goes a very long way. With the ale-spiked dressing, this dish goes well with a craft lager laced with Citra hops and orange peel.
Tip
Switch out tuna for large prawns or organic boneless chicken breast, if preferred.
Best pairing suds
Given this dish is laced with orange and fennel, a fruity lager or IPA with notes of orange and lemon and subtle hints of hops works extremely well. Crisp and cold, it’s the perfect accompaniment when serving almost any gently prepared seafood dishes.
Grilled Tuna with Orange, Fennel, and Citrus Beer Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) fruity light beer, such as an orange-laced light lager or IPA
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey
- 1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
- 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated orange zest
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt, plus extra, if desired
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cava or blood oranges
- 1 head radicchio
- 1 medium-sized fennel bulb
- 1 large golden shallot
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) pitted black olives
- Fresh dill
- 1 lb (450 g) albacore tuna loin, trimmed
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) fennel seeds
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories219
- protein19g
- fat10g
- saturated fat5g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates14g
- sugars9g
- fibre3g
- sodium162mg
Directions
01
In small bowl, place dressing ingredients. Vigorously whisk together until emulsified. Set aside.
02
To make salad, peel oranges, making sure to remove bitter white pith. Cut orange between the membranes to make wedges. Place in large, shallow bowl. Separate radicchio into leaves; wash and blot dry. Add to orange wedges. Cut fennel bulb in half, reserving fronds. On mandoline, thinly shave fennel and then shallot. Add to oranges and radicchio. Set aside.
03
Preheat barbecue or dry grill pan until very hot. Brush tuna loin with oil. With mortar and pestle, crush fennel seeds, then rub into tuna to evenly coat. On barbecue or in grill pan, sear tuna until charred all over but still rare on the inside, about 4 minutes. Remove to cutting board to rest for a minute, then thickly slice and break into pieces
04
Give salad dressing a quick whisk. Drizzle over orange and radicchio mixture. Gently toss. Serve salad with tuna overtop. Garnish with fennel fronds.
Irene McGuinness is a writer, recipe developer, food stylist for numerous magazines and corporations, and alumna of the Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University
