Recipe #2: Herb Marinated Grilled Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad

Spring is now upon us and flowers are in bloom. I’ve always liked incorporating flowers into dishes. Something has to be said about lavender crème brulee, rose petals that scent a sauce for quail (like in the book Like Water for Chocolate), and the scent of jasmine in a lime sorbet. Flowers also make a great garnish for salads. A small sprinkle of garlic blossoms or chive blossoms on a plate makes a simple salad look great. A lot of flowers from our own gardens are edible and are great for salads. Rosemary blossoms, pale purple colored society garlic, nasturtiums, rose petals all make great edible garnishes – just make sure you wash them well and that they are pesticide free.

Here’s a recipe for one of my favorite lunch items at the Veranda. It is a great springtime salad showcasing bright colors of California produce that we are lucky to have, and in this recipe, nasturtium and society garlic blossoms garnish the plate. At the restaurant, we slow poach the Ahi tuna in an herb flavored olive oil, however marinating the fish in an herb oil and grilling it is a lot less complicated to make at home. The fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano) used in the marinade are so fragrant (I’m obsessed with fresh oregano at the moment!) and you can use it for other seafood like shrimp and salmon too.

The dressing makes a little bit more than what you need for this salad. Keep the rest in the refrigerator and use as a marinade for grilled chicken breast … or to make more Nicoise salad.


Herb Marinated Grilled Ahi Nicoise Salad
4 servings

Ingredients:
For the grilled tuna:
4 5 oz pieces Ahi tuna
salt and pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme

For the salad:
5 c mesclun greens, washed
2 cups blanched haricot verts, or green beans
¼ cup capers
½ cup Nicoise olives
¼ cup torn fresh herbs (combine parsley, chive, chervil and tarragon)
4 hardboiled eggs, cut in half
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
4 medium potatoes, diced and boiled or ½ pound baby potatoes, halved and boiled
5 pieces marinated anchovy
½ c washed nasturtium blossoms, optional
2 Tbsp society garlic blossoms, optional
Nicoise olive dressing

Procedure:
1. Pre-heat a grill pan, broiler or barbeque.
2. Season the tuna with salt and pepper. Grill until the desired doneness is reached. Personally, I like Ahi tuna cooked rare to medium rare as it gets too dry as it cooks to medium well or well done. Cook to well done at your own risk – don’t say I didn’t warn you!
3. On a large platter, place the mesclun greens and arrange the green beans, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, capers, olives and anchovies attractively around the platter. Finish the composition with the washed nasturtium blossoms and the society garlic.
4. Arrange the grilled ahi tuna on top of the salad and drizzle the Nicoise olive dressing on top with more dressing on the side. Grind fresh pepper over the top of the salad.
5. Enjoy!

Nicoise Olive Dressing
Yield 2 cups

Ingredients:
½ c Banyuls or red wine vinegar
1 piece shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ c coarsely chopped pitted Nicoise olives
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped capers
3 pieces fineely chopped marinated anchovies
1 ½ c olive oil
salt, pepper, sugar

Procedure:
1. Combine vinegar, shallots, garlic, mustard, olives, capers and anchovies.
2. Whisk in the olive oil until a temporary emulsion is reached.
3. Season dressing with salt, pepper and sugar to taste.
4. Keep in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.