Ingredients
- 1 pint vine cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Orange Chili Oil, recipe follows
Black Olive Tapenade:
- 2 cups pitted Kalamata olives
- 1 big garlic clove
- Small handful fresh tarragon leaves
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
White Bean Puree:
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 2 (14-ounce) can white cannellini beans, drained
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken stock, heated
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 (6 to 8-ounce) sushi-quality tuna steaks, such as ahi, about 1-inch thick
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh Israeli arugula leaves, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lay out cherry vine tomatoes in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle with orange chili oil and roast in the oven for 8 to10 minutes until tomatoes are slightly burst and have given off their juices. Set aside.
For the olive tapenade:
Add tapenade ingredients to a food processor and process to a coarse puree. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the white bean puree:
In a saucepan add a 2 count of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovies and sweat for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the beans followed by the warm chicken stock and cook until heated through. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree with a splash of white vinegar, salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Thin with extra stock if the puree is too thick. Give it a final taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
Now prepare the tuna. Heat a large cast iron griddle pan over high heat. Drizzle the tuna with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill for about 45 seconds and then turn over and do the same. The tuna should be rare on the inside and have nice grill marks on the outside.
To serve, smear a spoonful of the white bean puree on the bottom of a plate. Top with a the tuna and a spoonful of tapenade over the top. Set a cluster of the roasted tomatoes over the top and drizzle the juices from the pan all around the plate. Garnish with fresh arugula leaves.
Orange Chili Oil:
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried red chili flakes
- 5 strips orange peel
- 1 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Make the chili oil by adding the thyme, rosemary, chili flakes and orange peel to the oil. Put aside and let it sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavors infuse.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Photo: Grilled Tuna with White Bean Puree, Olive Tapenade and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

















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By yoshi99
Hampton, VA
on December 21, 2011
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Great dish! The only problem I ran into was that the beans turned out very soupy (I mashed in a boiled potato to thicken them up. I would recommend only adding a little broth at first, then puree the beans. Add more broth to the food processor as needed.
By jamiestram1
castle rock, CO
on August 10, 2011
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I purchased tuna today and looked for recipes. SCORE!!! OMG this was wonderful. The amazing thing is that I had EVERY ingredient except fresh tarragon. I used dry. This recipe is fantastic, simple yet delicious. I made the white bean puree and olive tapenade ahead of time and just reheated the puree before serving. The tomatoes and herbs came from my garden as did the greens. The chicken stock was homemade. I want to make this again for guests. I served it with a wonderful white wine and a beautiful salad from my garden.
By Shazza666
Arlington, Texas
on May 29, 2011
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This was great
I made for 2 people made as recipe but halved the quantity of the bean paste as I thought 2 cans would be to much for 2 people and it was exactly right, as someone else suggested after I pureed the paste I added some finely chopped red bell pepper for a bit of texture and heated it through in the paste, I also did not have any anchovies so subbed it with a squeeze of anchovy paste. Great recipe would definately do again
Read all 31 reviews