Recipe: Pan-Seared Pepper-Encrusted Tuna with Ginger-Soy Sauce-Lemon “Sauce”

That title tells you just about all you need to know about this recipe, but I am going to tell you extra.

I’ve been trying to use all the stuff in the refrigerator before going to buy more stuff in the effort to both not be wasteful and to not have perishables during the hottest, most hurricane-prone part of the year. Luckily, I almost always have Asian-style condiments and various flavor boosters in the fridge or pantry.

This is a recipe for one. When it comes to fish, I only cook one portion at a time.

Materials:

• 1 yellowfin tuna steak
  
• enough pepper to “encrust” the tuna
  
• the tiniest amount of butter possible to grease the bottom of the pan
  
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  
• 1 inch of peeled ginger, shredded
  
• juice of ½ lemon
  

Mix the lemon juice, soy sauce, and ginger in a small dish.

Get the frying pan hot. While the pan is getting hot, pat the tuna dry and coat that steak in pepper (fresh ground is very nice). Put the butter in the pan and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the tuna to the pan and let it fry for a minute or two. Flip it and do the same on the other side. You want the middle to still be pink, but the outside planes to be browned.

Put the cooked fish on a plate and pour “sauce” on top of the fish. Let it seep in for a second. Eat before the fish gets cold! It’s tangy! It burns the mouth in a delightful way!

I used to hate tuna, but I’ve discovered that is delicious in any soy sauce-based sauce. Enjoy!