Emeril's Grilled Tuna Pan Bagnat Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 (1 1/2-inch thick) sushi grade tuna loin or 2 pound tuna steak
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Herbes de Provence
• 2 crusty French bread rolls, about 6-inches in length, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
• Tapenade, recipe follows
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
• Essence, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the grill to medium-high.

Rub the tuna on all sides with the oil and lightly season with salt, pepper and the herbs. Grill, turning, until medium-rare. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice.

With a fork, scrape out the inner crumbs from both halves of bread. Spread both sides of each roll with tapenade. On the bottom slices of bread, layer the tomatoes and onions over the tapenade and top with other ingredients.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Tapenade:

1/2 pound brine-cured black olives, such as Gaeta, Vall'Aurea, or Nicoise, pitted

2 anchovy fillets, drained

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil. Process slightly and scrape down the sides. With the motor running, add the oil through the feed tube and process to a smooth paste, scraping down the sides as needed. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups