Pan-Fried Tuna Steaks With Baba Ghanoush

A very tasty recipe from the 'Good Food for Friends' cookery book using tuna, eggplants and cherry tomatoes. The baba ghanoush can be prepared earlier in the day and kept covered at room temperature. The baba ghanoush also goes well with other robus-flavored fish such as swordfish or red mullet. The recipe is for 6, but it can easily be adapted for 2 or 4. Serve with buttered spinach and/or potatoes. (This recipe is labelled as Middle East in the Zaar World Tour because of the Baba Ghanoush).

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Tuna

• 6  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  lemon, zest of, grated
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh coriander
• 6 (200 g)  thick tuna steaks, loin, 200g/7oz
• 1  cup cherry tomatoes, halved (250g)

• Baba Ghanoush

• 3  large eggplants, about 900g/2lb in total
• 3  garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 4  tablespoons  tahini paste (I prefer to use 2)
• 1  lemon, juice of
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄4 cup fresh coriander

Directions

1. Bhaba Ghanoush:
2. Preheat the grill to high. Grill the eggplants whole, turning them now and then, for 20-25 minutes until blackened. When cool, trim off the stalks, cut the eggplants in half and scoop the flesh into a food processor. Add the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and coriander. Season and process until smooth.
3. Tuna:
4. Mix the oil, lemon zest and coriander. Lightly brush some of the mixture over the tuna and season. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the tuna in batches for 1 minute (or less) on each side (just long enough to sear the outsides and keep the fish juicy and tender). Remove from the pan and keep warm. Add the rest of the flavored oil to the pan, then fry the tomatoes for 1 minute.
5. Serve:
6. Divide the baba ghanoush between 6 plates. Arrange a tuna steak and the tomatoes on top. Drizzle over any pan juices and serve with buttered spinach and/or potatoes.