Sicilian Seared Tuna with Sweet-and-Sour Red Onions and Mint
Tonno in agrodolce is how Sicily's coastal towns treat a good piece of tuna: seared hard and fast so the middle stays rosy, then smothered in a jammy tangle of red onions cooked down with vinegar, honey, golden raisins and pine nuts. It is sweet, sharp and rich all at once, and it comes together in about half an hour.
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Nutrition (per serving)
Tonno in agrodolce is how Sicily's coastal towns treat a good piece of tuna: seared hard and fast so the middle stays rosy, then smothered in a jammy tangle of red onions cooked down with vinegar, honey, golden raisins and pine nuts. It is sweet, sharp and rich all at once, and it comes together in about half an hour.
The onions do the heavy lifting here. Give them a full twelve minutes so they turn soft and glossy before the vinegar goes in, and let the sauce bubble until it is syrupy rather than wet. The tuna needs the opposite treatment: a screaming hot pan, a dry surface and barely a minute and a half per side. Overcook it and it goes grey and chalky, so pull it while the centre is still pink.
Step-by-step instructions
Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, then tip them into a small bowl with the golden raisins and pour the red wine vinegar over so the raisins plump.
Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil to the same skillet and cook the sliced red onions with a pinch of salt over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft, glossy and just catching at the edges.
Stir in the honey, chili flakes and the vinegar with its raisins and pine nuts, and let it bubble for 2 minutes until the liquid turns syrupy and coats the onions. Tip into a bowl and wipe out the pan.
Pat the tuna dry, rub with the remaining oil and season well with salt and pepper. Sear in the very hot skillet for 60 to 90 seconds a side, until browned outside and still rosy pink in the middle.
Rest the tuna for a minute, slice it thickly to show the pink centre and spoon the warm onions over the top. Finish with torn mint, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of flaky salt.
Make a double batch of the onions. They keep for five days in the fridge, taste even better the next day, and are just as good spooned over grilled chicken, pork chops or a slab of ricotta on toast. Leftover tuna is best eaten cold, flaked through the onions with a handful of rocket.
Ingredients
- 2 fresh tuna steaks (about 6 oz / 170g each, 1 inch thick)
- 2 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp golden raisins
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 small handful fresh mint leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- flaky salt and black pepper
- crusty bread, to serve (optional)
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Step-by-Step
- 1
Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, then tip them into a small bowl with the golden raisins and pour the red wine vinegar over so the raisins plump.
- 2
Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil to the same skillet and cook the sliced red onions with a pinch of salt over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft, glossy and just catching at the edges.
- 3
Stir in the honey, chili flakes and the vinegar with its raisins and pine nuts, and let it bubble for 2 minutes until the liquid turns syrupy and coats the onions. Tip into a bowl and wipe out the pan.
- 4
Pat the tuna dry, rub with the remaining oil and season well with salt and pepper. Sear in the very hot skillet for 60 to 90 seconds a side, until browned outside and still rosy pink in the middle.
- 5
Rest the tuna for a minute, slice it thickly to show the pink centre and spoon the warm onions over the top. Finish with torn mint, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of flaky salt.
Recipe
Sicilian Seared Tuna with Sweet-and-Sour Red Onions and Mint
Ingredients
- 2 fresh tuna steaks (about 6 oz / 170g each, 1 inch thick)
- 2 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp golden raisins
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 small handful fresh mint leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- flaky salt and black pepper
- crusty bread, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, then tip them into a small bowl with the golden raisins and pour the red wine vinegar over so the raisins plump.
- 2
Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil to the same skillet and cook the sliced red onions with a pinch of salt over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft, glossy and just catching at the edges.
- 3
Stir in the honey, chili flakes and the vinegar with its raisins and pine nuts, and let it bubble for 2 minutes until the liquid turns syrupy and coats the onions. Tip into a bowl and wipe out the pan.
- 4
Pat the tuna dry, rub with the remaining oil and season well with salt and pepper. Sear in the very hot skillet for 60 to 90 seconds a side, until browned outside and still rosy pink in the middle.
- 5
Rest the tuna for a minute, slice it thickly to show the pink centre and spoon the warm onions over the top. Finish with torn mint, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of flaky salt.
Nutrition Facts
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.