Pacific Albacore Tuna Couscous
Inspired by both the Ballard and Greenlake neighborhoods in Seattle. Specifically, the St. Jude’s tuna fished right off the Washington coast serves as homage to Puget Sound and Ballard, the original home to the city’s fishermen. The fresh taste and brilliant color of the dish’s green olives and mint cucumber are inspired by the natural beauty of Greenlake’s lush recreation areas.
- Recipe Yield : Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 box NEAR EAST® Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 3 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 fresh Pacific albacore tuna steaks* (boneless, skin off), 4 – 5 oz. each
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tbs. rough chopped green olives (Cerignola, Arbequina, or Picholine)
- 2 tbs. lemon juice
- 1/4 cup roasted almonds (chopped rough)
- 1/2 cup peeled and small diced English cucumber
Preparation Steps
- In a blender, puree the mint, lemon zest and 1 tsp. salt with 3 tbs. of the olive oil until smooth. Reserve refrigerated.
- Marinate the albacore with 1 tsp. salt, the black pepper, paprika and chopped parsley by tossing all ingredients in a bowl and coating well.
- Simmer the vegetable broth in a large fry pan and add the Near East® Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous, contents of Spice Sack, olives, lemon juice and remaining 1 tsp. salt. Cover with plastic wrap and allow 5-6 minutes for the couscous to bloom.
- Toss couscous with mint puree, almonds and cucumbers.
- In a large fry pan on medium high heat, sear all sides of the albacore until fish is cooked medium rare (roughly 5 minutes)**, remove from heat and slice in desired portions (3 slices per person) before serving with couscous.
Variations
*A good alternate to albacore tuna steaks is fresh halibut filets (boneless, skin off).
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