Fennel Orange Salad with Tuna

Difficulty:

1/5

Ease of Preparation: Medium
Time of Preparation: 25-30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings, as an appetizer

This fresh and tasty salad combines just about everything that could possibly make the flavor of tuna pop! Anise-y fennel, sweet honey, spicy chili, briny olives, juicy oranges, and bitter radicchio all play their supporting roles to let that rich, meaty tuna shine!

Ingredients:

Tuna:

1 tablespoon (15 ml) fennel seed
1 tablespoon (15 ml) whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon (15 ml) whole allspice berries
1 orange, zest (remove and reserve segments for Salad)
1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) coarse salt
2 teaspoons (10 ml) sugar
1 ¼ pounds (567 g) piece yellowfin tuna loin, trimmed into a rectangle
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

Salad:

1 orange, juice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar
½ cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 ml) honey
Salt and chili flake
3 sprigs oregano, leaves only
1 head radicchio, thin shreds
Reserved orange segments
1 bulb fennel, cored and sliced in thin wedges (reserve some fronds, to garnish)
Small handful pitted kalamata olives, halved

Method:

For the Tuna:

In a spice grinder, combine the fennel, pepper, allspice, orange zest, salt, and sugar and grind to a coarse meal.

Place tuna on a flat dish or pan and season well with the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

A few minutes before serving, heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tuna and sear 15 seconds per side until lightly browned and crisp on outside, raw to rare on the inside.

For the Salad:

In a mason jar, combine the orange juice, vinegar, honey, and olive oil, season with salt and chili flake. Seal tightly and shake vigorously until well combined. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the oregano, radicchio, orange segments, fennel, and olives, add the dressing and toss until evenly coated.

Arrange the salad on a serving dish, garnish with fennel fronds.

Slice the tuna and arrange over the veggies.

Serve immediately.