Trapani was famed for its tuna fisheries until well into this century, when commercial boats working the high seas decimated the tuna populations, and thus marginalized the traditional tuna fisheries. Though you'll no longer be able to get the tuna for this from a tonnara, it will be good, and if you wish you could use other large fish steaks too. To serve 4:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 slices tuna, without skin, a little more than a pound (500 g) in all.
- 2 sweet red onions along the lines of tropea onions (Vidalias will work as a sbstitute)
- A bay leaf
- Extravirgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Soak the tuna in cold salted water for a half hour; drain it well and pat the slices dry.
Peel the onions and slice them finely. Gently wilt the slices in a skillet, with 4 tablespoons of oilive oil, the bay leaf, and three tablespoons of water; when they begin to caramelize season them with salt and pepper and add the vinegar. Simmer them for a minute more before turning off the flame and letting them cool.
Heat 5 tablespoons of oil in a broad skillet. Salt the tuna steaks and cook them until the flesh has lightened and flakes easily (if you prefer your tuna more or less done adjust the time accordingly), turning the slices once. Drain them and put them on a serving dish; cover them with the onion marinade, and let them rest for several hours before serving them cool.
Peel the onions and slice them finely. Gently wilt the slices in a skillet, with 4 tablespoons of oilive oil, the bay leaf, and three tablespoons of water; when they begin to caramelize season them with salt and pepper and add the vinegar. Simmer them for a minute more before turning off the flame and letting them cool.
Heat 5 tablespoons of oil in a broad skillet. Salt the tuna steaks and cook them until the flesh has lightened and flakes easily (if you prefer your tuna more or less done adjust the time accordingly), turning the slices once. Drain them and put them on a serving dish; cover them with the onion marinade, and let them rest for several hours before serving them cool.
