Moroccan Spiced Pan Seared Tuna Steaks

I had some tuna steaks in the freezer and was wondering what to do with them for Sunday night's dinner.  We went Moroccan!  I had a look through the spice rack and the fridge, and there was enough to give this Moroccan flare.  Turned out delicious and will most certainly be making it again.   

Moroccan Spiced Seared Tuna Steaks

Moroccan Spiced pan Seared Tuna

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Tuna steaks, 1 inch thick
2 Tablespoon of olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and black pepper
1 Teaspoon sweet paprika
1 Teaspoon ground coriander
4 Tablespoons of fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

The first thing you will have to do is make your Moroccan paste.  Do this by combining in a small bowl 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper, paprika, ground coriander, fresh coriander and garlic cloves.  Stir this all together until it forms a paste.

Arrange your tuna steaks in a shallow glass dish.  Make sure they can all fit in without overlapping.  Next, spoon a small amount of the paste over each tuna steak.  Repeat for both sides of the tuna steaks.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Remove the tuna steaks from the fridge about 1/2 hour before you plan to cook them.  When ready to cook, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet set over a high heat.  Give it a minute to get really hot, and then put in our tuna steaks.  If you have any paste left over, smooth it over the tuna steaks.  Now, tuna really doesn't take long to cook, so don't run off anywhere and forget about it.  You want your tuna to be tender, not chewy.  I usually cook them for about 3 minutes then turn them over and cook for a further 3 minutes.  If you want it well done, give it another minute or so per side.  Just before the tuna steaks are finished cooking, so when you are in the last minute of cooking, splash the balsamic vinegar all over the fish.  Remove it from the pan and transfer to a serving plate.  Personally, I think this needs to be served with the Minted Yoghurt Dip.