Grilled Tuna With Herbs and Olives

By Mark Bittman

Updated June 6, 2017

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(1,062)
Comments
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Here, grilled tuna is smothered with a mixture of flavorful herbs, made more potent by the addition of chopped olives and a little raw garlic. A mix of parsley, basil, chives, chervil and marjoram, for example, would be splendid, as would one of cilantro, mint and basil. (I would rule out only thyme, tarragon and rosemary, unless you use them in minuscule quantities.) If you don't have a grill, many readers have baked it at 425 and been happy with the results.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 ½ to 2 pounds tuna, about 1 inch thick, 2 or 4 steaks

  • Extra-virgin olive oil as needed

  • Salt and pepper

  • ¼ cup pitted oil-cured olives, finely chopped

  • About 1 cup mixed tender fresh herbs

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic, optional

  • Lemon wedges

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

2 grams carbs; 123 milligrams cholesterol; 498 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 35 grams fat; 2 grams trans fat; 1 gram fiber; 530 milligrams sodium; 40 grams protein

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Start a charcoal or gas grill; fire should be medium-high and rack about 4 inches from heat source.

  2. Step 2

    When fire is ready, rub tuna lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Put it on grill and grill about 3 to 4 minutes a side for medium-rare, more or less according to your desired degree of doneness.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, combine olives, herbs, garlic if you are using it and just enough oil to moisten and bind the mixture, no more than a tablespoon.

  4. Step 4

    When tuna is done, spread a portion of herb mixture on 1 side of each steak and serve with lemon wedges.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,062 user ratings
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Comments

Laurie

Cooked tuna in very hot cast iron skillet 2 min on first side and 1 min on other. Perfect and glad didn't cook longer. Dry brined tuna w/ coarse salt and pepper 20 minutes before cooking. Wiped fish off, then coated with olive oil and coarse black pepper. Made olive mixture in heavy mortar and pestle; used mint, basil, parsley (garlic essential) - added 1 Tbsp lemon juice to balance flavor. Served with couscous and mixed extra olive mixture into couscous. Absolutely delicious and very easy.

Karen

When not grilling, I prefer a sauté pan over the oven. I make sure the oiled pan is hot, a minute to a minute and a half on each side, then remove from heat to cook through. That keeps it tender and moist, 'cause it's a crime to overcook fresh fish.

Jenna

4 minutes on each side ended up being cooked just a bit too much for us - next time I'll do 2.5-3 to keep some pink on the inside! For the sauce I used moroccan black olives, garlic, and mint, because that's what I had, and included another side of some fresh chimichurri sauce we had in the fridge, which added a definite kick! This was delicious. Served with a spinach salad with olive oil/lemon dressing. Perfect, easy summer dinner.

Lorenzo

You can also do this without olives. I did it with a mix of spearmint, basil, cilantro, olive oil and lemon and it came out fantastic. Served with some roasted potatoes and an arugula salad. Just top notch lucnh.

Charley

Quick and good. Used fresh basil and parsley. Only cooked for five minutes total.

Martha

Delicious as is! I wouldn't change a thing!

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