Simple Recipe: Pan-seared tuna loin with buttery couscous

Pan-seared tuna loin with buttery couscous

I rarely buy fish apart from cod or haddock. Apart from the fact that it can be a little bit more expensive in comparison to meat or vegetables, it is very rare for me to find a really nice and fresh looking salmon or tuna loin around the shops in the city center. To me, if I’d spend that much money on salmon or tuna loin, it better be good and not from an old stock sitting inside the freezer for I-don’t-know-how-long!

Howth is a well-known place to go if you are looking for fresh seafood to eat or buy, a wider variety of fish in comparison to the city center shops, or simply if you want to walk in the bay area on a (rare) sunny day. Last weekend, was a not-so-sunny-but-not-rainy kind of day and for this year’s “summer“, we haven’t been to Howth yet so we decided to try our luck and go there. We had lunch at Crabby Jo’s and bought a couple of fresh seafood to bring home!

One of the items I bought were the fresh tuna loins from Beshoff’s. It is rare for me to find a nice piece of tuna loin even in Howth so I decided to splurge a bit to buy 4 fillets. If only I know how to prepare sashimi, I’d say that these fillets would pass as tuna sashimi! The meat pieces were firm, pinkish-red, and does not smell “fishy” at all!

So the tuna loin ended up as our last night’s dinner and I decided to pair it up with some buttery couscous on the side. Since the tuna loin fillets were so fresh, I only pan-seared them and seasoned with salt and pepper – I think that’s the best way to prepare very fresh seafood so you can appreciate the taste!

Recipe (serves two):

4 fillet tuna loins
salt
pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
half lemon (optional)

Buttery couscous:
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup water
25 g butter
1 stalk spring onion, chopped

Steps:

1. Season the tuna loins with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Cook the couscous first. To begin, place the butter in a saucepan and heat it up.
3. Once the butter stops making the sizzling sound, toss the spring onions in and cook for about a minute.
4. Add the couscous and water. Wait for the water to boil. When it starts to boil, stir the couscous and reduce to medium heat.
5. Cook the couscous until all the water is absorbed. Set aside but keep on stirring to ensure the couscous remains “fluffy” and won’t be stodgy.
6. Meanwhile, place a pan over high heat and pour the oil in. When the pan is hot enough, put the tuna fillet pieces in the pan. Cook each side for only about a minute each. Set aside.
7. If you want the fish fillets to taste tangy, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the tuna fillet pieces.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Additional note: You may want to have a bit of tartare sauce on the side for added flavour, too!