Grilled Tuna with Grilled Bread and Aïoli

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Prepare: 1 cup Aïoli (Garlic Mayonnaise; page 47).

   Step 2

   Thin slightly with water. The sauce should flow from the spoon but still be quite thick. Cut about 1/2 inch thick: 6 slices country-style bread.

   Step 3

   Brush with: Olive oil.

   Step 4

   Meanwhile prepare a bed of hot coals. When the grill is clean and hot, brush: 4 pieces tuna (4 to 6 ounces each) with: Olive oil.

   Step 5

   Season with: Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.

   Step 6

   Place on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Tuna cooks quickly and tastes best rare, when it is still quite red in the center. When cooked all the way through it is dry. The timing will vary depending on how thick your pieces of fish are. Don’t hesitate to cut into a piece to see how done it is. When the fish is cooked, remove it from the grill to a warm plate. Put the bread slices on the grill and cook until toasted on each side. Spoon some aïoli over each piece of fish and serve with the grilled bread and some: Lemon wedges.

2. Variations

   Step 7

   Serve with Tapenade (page 217) instead of aïoli. Thin the tapenade slightly with extra-virgin olive oil.

   Step 8

   Serve with Salsa Verde (page 45) instead of aïoli. Salsa verde made with a good amount of marjoram in place of some of the parsley is particularly tasty with tuna.

   Step 9

   Crush 2 teaspoons fennel or cumin seeds and add to the salt and pepper when seasoning the fish.