Tuna With Grilled Panzanella

Tuna With Grilled Panzanella

Why this recipe works: Panzanella is a classic Italian bread salad, and in our version we add smoky flavor by grilling all of the components. Once charred, the bread and vegetables are matched with a grilled tuna for the perfect summer might’s meal. The briny, acidic bite of capers adds contrast and depth to the bread salad, and a healthy dose of basil lends summery freshness. The dressing pulls double duty here we use it to flavor both the salad and the tuna. We find that Italian bread with a crusty exterior and chewy crumb works best in the panzanella. After cooking the vegetables, we allow a few minutes for the grill to heat up before cooking the fish and use the downtime to assemble the bread salad.

Tuna with grilled panzanella

Ingredients: sever 4

3 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced salt and pepper

9 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper

1 large red onion, sliced into ½ inch rounds

4 slices crusty Italian bread (about 1 inch thick)

3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

4 tuna steaks (6 to 8 ounces each), about 1 inch thick

Procedures:

1. Whisk vinegar, garlic, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 6 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons dressing to small bowl and reserve.
2. Slice bottom off pepper, stand upright, and slice off a large, fleshy piece from side of stem. Slice off remaining smaller pieces. Toss onion and pepper with 2 additional tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill bread over medium fire until charred on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Grill onion and pepper until charred on both side, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cut bread, onion, and pepper into ¾ inch pieces. Toss bread and vegetables with dressing in large bowl. Toss in capers and basil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Brush tuna with remaining tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until browned on both sides, but still red in center, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer tuna to platter and drizzle with reserve dressing. Serve with salad

Quick prep tip cutting pepper for grilling

Slice the bottom off the pepper and stand it upright. Slice off a large fleshy piece form two sides to expose the core. Slice down the ribs, avoiding the seeds and stem, to create smaller strips.

Kitchen know how warming up a gas grill

Heat the grill with all the burners turned to high and the lid down for at least 15 minutes. Once the grill is hot, scrape the grate clean with a grill brush, then adjust the burners as desired. Cook with the lid down in all instances: it concentrates the heat when searing and keeps the temperature steady when slow cooking.