Cumin Seared Albacore Tuna Loin
By: Barnaby Dorfman
Published: Tuesday, December 7, 2010 - 12:04pm

Ingredients




1 Albacore Tuna Loin
5 tablespoons Ground Cumin
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Lemon, zested and juiced
6 Stems Green Onion, rough chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preparation

1 Use a whole, clean and very fresh (or fresh frozen) albacore tuna loin with no skin or bones. 2-4 pound loins are sold frozen and vacuum packed in some Asian markets. You will be eating this partially raw, so it should be "sashimi grade." 2 Dry off the loin with a paper towel and then dust liberally all over with ground cumin. 3 Place 3 Tbs of olive oil in a frying pan large enough to hold the tuna loin. Heat the oil to where it just starts to smoke then reduce heat a bit and add the loin. Sear on all sides just until the cumin browns, no more than a few minutes. Do not overcook,you want most of the center of the loin to be raw. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 4 Place remaining olive oil, zest and juice from lemon, and green onion in a blender and whiz until green onion is smoothly integrated into a sauce. Adjust the salt to taste. 5 Thinly slice the tuna loin on a platter and drizzle with the sauce and serve.

About


Can be made a head of time, refrigerated and served cold  as an appetizer or over a salad of butter lettuce. If you leave the sauce on for an hour or so before serving, the lemon will "cook" it a bit like ceviche.