We don’t usually buy fish here in Montana because we’re a bit landlocked by more than a couple states on every side. But, today we stopped for the first time at the locally famous Montana Fish Company and I instantly fell in love and vowed to return as often as possible. This fish and shellfish market is small but has some truly fresh, flown in daily, fish that called my name. The ahi tuna was too good to pass up so I had them slice up a couple steak size portions for us and went home to find a simple recipe for my first seared fish attempt.

Seasoned fresh ahi ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

I chose between a few narrowed down recipes, but liked this peppercorn crusted one best. There were many recipes that called for sesame crust so perhaps if this goes well next time I’ll try that. I did find a yummy sounding cucumber salad with sesame oil and seeds though to accompany our tuna this time around. I also decided to serve it with sushi-grade white rice. This could be a lunch recipe as well, especially if you served it on some arugula or watercress salad greens, but we had it for dinner.

Grinding the spices ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

I already had green & Szechuan peppercorns in a pepper grinder so I just used my mortar & pestle to mash up the salt, thyme, and already ground pepper together. Success! I used sesame oil instead of olive oil to sear the tuna and it only took about 6 minutes total searing time.

Searing in the pan ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

It came out perfect! Cooked on the top and bottom, warmed lightly on the inside but still rare, and the peppercorn crust was mildly spicy but not too much. What a seriously quick and seriously delicious dinner. Here’s my seared ahi tuna: #williamssonoma #seared

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Seared Ahi Tuna with Green Peppercorn-Thyme Crust

From:  Williams-Sonoma Kitchen
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. green peppercorns
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 ahi tuna steaks, each 6 oz.
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. lemon zest

Directions:
1. In a mortar or a mini food processor, combine the green peppercorns, thyme and salt and grind with a pestle or process until blended. Rub both sides of the tuna with the mixture, covering the surfaces completely.
2. In a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until almost smoking. Arrange the tuna in the pan and sear, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1-inch strips. Arrange the slices on a warmed platter, sprinkle with the lemon zest and serve immediately.