I’ve been trying to recreate some of my favorite restaurant dishes at home lately…& some of them have turned out pretty great. Ahi tuna is an ingredient I’m mildly obsessed with- I love just about everything about it. Except cooking it. While this still isn’t perfect it was tasty…& inspired by a recipe in Clean Slate written by the editors of Martha Stewart Living. This dish is healthy, easy to make, & has some brightness to perk up the tastebuds.
The inspiration for this recipe came from the Black Sea Bass with Barley, Shiitake, & Edamame Salad in the Clean Slate Cookbook & Guide from the editors of Martha Stewart Living on page 241. I subbed in similar ingredients since I couldn’t get to the store that day & it turned out great. Instead of black sea bass I used ahi tuna. I also had your average button mushrooms & fresh pea pods on hand so in those went. I love barley but I’ve been trying to use up some pearl couscous I’ve had open for awhile & grains are super easy to sub out. Hopefully if you don’t have these specific ingredients on hand you can use what you have!
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- Coarse salt & ground pepper
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup fresh sugar snap peas, strings & stems removed
- 4 ahi tuna steaks, about 4 oz each
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- Optional- fresh herbs like mint, basil, or parsley.
- Bring water & pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan. When boiling add pearl couscous & bring back to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, & simmer until tender & water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat & let stand about 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms & cook until lightly browning. Reduce heat to medium & add garlic & pea pods to cook stirring occasionally until heated through. Add couscous & cook until heated through. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer to a bowl & cover to keep warm. Wipe pan clean.
- Season steaks with salt. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers add tuna & cook until seared on each side. Don't move your steaks so they sear evenly & brown, you can watch them cook from the side. Remove from heat & slice against the grain. Serve atop the couscous & veggies. Season with pepper, lime wedges, & optional fresh herbs.
I’m loving making this on a Monday then splitting into 4 servings- minus the fish. I cook the fish fresh daily for lunch & have the rest of my meal already prepared. So easy! Another option to make something similar is to arrange them in your bowl (mine is from the Martha Stewart Collection available exclusively at Macy’s here!) kind of like a bento box each day is you need to cook up different veggies. I do this right before grocery shopping to use up odds & ends I don’t juice. Easy peasy! This is also great to make for a healthy dinner or a meal for company.
What are your favorite lunch recipes when you need to use up ingredients? Favorite fish recipes? I’d love to hear about them below!
