The trip my husband and I made to Sicily in 2010 is such a beautiful memory.
The island’s stunning landscape and unique culture held special meaning for me as my mother was Sicilian. Her family emigrated from Palermo, which is both a region and the capital city of Sicily. We don’t know if they were city dwellers or farmers who lived in the surrounding countryside. I thought of them often during our brief visit to this Italian island paradise and wished there had been time to explore the family’s history.
But it is the food of Sicily that fascinates me, a cuisine influenced by the area’s volcanic soil, abundant sunshine and blue ocean waters. But, in no small measure, also by the many nationalities that invaded the island over many centuries. The soul of Sicilian cooking revolves around citrus fruits, which grow in abundance there, fish like tuna and swordfish, capers and other fresh herbs, pine nuts and olives and the unique dishes that are known as agrodolce or “sweet and sour.”
Lent is here, and I’m always looking for seafood recipes for those traditional Catholic meatless Fridays. I found a recipe by renowned French chef, Jacques Pepin, who prepared this tuna dish for a group of tourists on a culinary tour in the town of Messina, Sicily. It’s unusual in that he uses red wine in the preparation rather than white and accompanies it with olive oil-dressed arugula. I served it with broccoli and whipped yellow gold potatoes and omitted the arugula, which seemed more like a summer meal.
As a matter of full disclosure, my family accused me of overcooking the tuna. I’m good at that. Unlike me, they prefer tuna rare. So, if you are one of those as well, watch your cooking times very carefully. The flavors in this dish are complex and involve three main steps: making the relish, making the red wine sauce, and searing the tuna. But it’s not a hard dish to make.
PAN SEARED TUNA STEAKS WITH CAPERS AND OREGANO
Ingredients
- ¼ cup capers, drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped oregano (1 tablespoon dried if fresh not available)
- 1 small shallot or very small red onion, finely minced
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 6-ounce fresh tuna steaks about ¾-inch thick
- 4 anchovies, chopped or a couple squirts anchovy paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
- In a small bowl, mix the capers, oregano and minced shallot or onion with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. (Remember, capers are salty.)
- In a skillet (NOT non-stick if possible), heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Season the tuna steaks lightly with salt and pepper and add to the skillet.
- Cook over medium high heat about 4 minutes total, turning once. (You want a nice sear to the steaks without overcooking them!) Transfer the steaks to a platter and keep them warm.
- Add the anchovies or anchovy paste to the skillet, swirling it until it “dissolves.” Add the wine and boil until reduced to about half (about 4 minutes).
- Remove the skillet from the heat and swirl in the butter one piece at a time, until blended and smooth. Season the red wine sauce with a little salt and pepper.
When you are ready to serve, place the tuna on a serving platter or on individual plates. Put a small mound of the caper relish on each piece and drizzle with some of the red wine sauce. Partner the tuna with sides of your choice.
This is an elegant Lenten meal or great for any season. The tuna could be grilled in the summer, and then Chef Pepin’s arugula salad would be a perfect accompaniment. I also was thinking you could substitute swordfish for the tuna and perhaps make a white wine sauce instead.
The list of classic Sicilian dishes is long—Italian, but uniquely Italian. I hope you enjoy this one!
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