Grilled Tuna and Avocado Salad

As a child I was enamored by cooking shows. You might remember my favorites. Of course, Julia Child on The French Chef. How could you not love Julia? But I also eagerly watched Wok With Yan, mostly focused on Asian stir-fries and The Cajun Cook, Justin Wilson, who seemed to shove whole garlic cloves into just about everything. I’m showing my age, aren’t I? These shows were delightfully quirky and on some level…enlightening!

Now days there are two people I always stop to watch:  Bobby Flay and Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. As I have already given away my feelings for sweet Bobby in Ready For A Throwdown, I’d now like to take a moment to pay Ms. Ina her proper respect.

What to say about Ina. (Sigh.) She’s like a young aunt, or older friend, to whom you would unabashedly pour out your soul, over a couple cosmos, homemade smoked salmon spread, and freshly baked baguettes!

I don’t generally make a habit of getting starstruck. In fact, I can’t think of a single Hollywood celeb that I would really care to meet. But Ina’s different. With her freshly cut peonies, her colorful friends in magenta sweaters, and her soothing river-stone voice, she lures me in every time. Plus I love the way she talks about her husband Jeffrey. She obviously, sees him as the sun and moon–and that just endears her to me even more.

Ina’s carefree cooking style is something I aspire to. She focuses on revamping the classics, and celebrating ingredients in a minimalist way. She doesn’t worry herself with trends and lavish presentation, just quality. Because of this, she exudes confidence and simple elegance in a way I rarely see. To top it all, every episode ends with a party or a quaint dinner-for-two in the garden. I can only dream that someday my days will end like The Barefoot Contessa!

So in honor of Ina, I give you one of her dishes that is perfect for summer.

Food is not about impressing people. It’s about making them feel comfortable. ~Ina Garten

Love you Ina!

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Chop the avocados and add them to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well.

Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

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Grilled Tuna Avocado Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes minutes

A perfect summer dish from Ina Garten of The Barefoot Contessa.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

• 2 pounds very fresh tuna steak cut 1-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for brushing
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 limes zested
• 1 teaspoon wasabi powder or paste
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 3 limes
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 10 dashes hot sauce such as Tabasco
• 2 ripe Hass avocados medium diced
• 1/4 cup minced scallions white and green parts (2 scallions)
• 1/4 cup red onion small diced

Instructions

• Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Chop the avocados and add them to the vinaigrette.
• Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well.
• Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 636kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 56g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 86mg, Sodium: 1726mg, Potassium: 1151mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 5175IU, Vitamin C: 28.5mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 3.3mg

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

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