Sous Vide Tuna Steaks with Caper and Olive Topping

I love tuna, and I love the Mediterranean flavors of this topping: the salty bite of the capers, the sour olives and the sweet balsamic. Plus, it comes together in minutes while the steaks cook. I cooked the tuna to rare (30 minutes). If you like your tuna medium rare, increase cooking time to 35 minutes. Don’t delay taking the tuna out of the water when the timer goes — unlike other meats, this seems to keep cooking. I also suggest searing just one side of the steak, leaving plenty of pink to red tuna in the center.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:15

Recipe Time: 00:30

Temperature : 109.4F / 43C

Ingredients

• 2 (8-ounce) tuna steaks
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons chopped green olives
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 109ºF (43ºC).
2. Place tuna steaks in a large zipper lock bag with 1/2 cup olive oil. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique and place in the water bath. Set the timer for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the topping: Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over raisins and set aside to soften
4. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Drain the raisins and add to onion mixture. Stir in capers, green olives, balsamic vinegar, and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and cook until balsamic is almost completely reduced. Remove from the heat and stir in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the tuna from the bag and pat dry. Reserve cooking oil.
2. Heat about 1 tablespoon reserved oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add tuna and sear on one side until golden brown, about 1 minute.
3. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the caper and olive topping. Serve.