Tuna...The New Red Meat...

at least in my house! Holy cow was this good! Kyle and I had eaten lots of fish while on our honeymoon in Hawaii last year and got pretty spoiled by it. And now for my confession...I've NEVER made fish aside from whatever comes out of the freezer section. I know, I know...how did I grow up in a coastal community (Long Island, NY) and manage to never learn how to cook fish? Beats me!

Nonetheless, I took the plunge last week and picked up a big tuna steak (that I cut in two) and 2 HUGE sea scallops. I was bound and determined to prepare a healthy seafood meal that reminded me of a fancy dinner we had in Hawaii while overlooking the setting sun on the Pacific Ocean. After lots of searching online to make sure I felt confident enough to cook the tuna without ruining it, I came across a great recipe for balsamic-glazed tuna on CookingLight.com.

The glaze was a touch on the sweet side and I think the next time I make it, I will cut out 1 tsp of brown sugar. While only making 2 tuna steaks, I did make the full amount of glaze because the reviews on the website said that 1 tbsp of glaze wasn't enough per serving. This recipe calls to grill the tuna but I seared it alongside the 2 scallops on a griddle that attachs to our gas grill's side burner and cooked them for 4-6 minutes per side (4min for my med-rare and 6min for Kyle's medium) over low heat. I cooked the scallops for 5 minutes per side - they were about 1 1/2" thick before cooking.

I paired the tuna and scallops with brown rice that I cooked in chicken broth and garlic powder and a vegetable salad that Kyle came up with and prepared all on his own - see below. (I was SO proud of him!) The vegetable salad was a wonderful and light addition to the meal and we will definitely make it again.

Balsamic-Glazed Tuna

• Cooking spray
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
• sesame seeds (the recipe didn't call for these but I pressed them into the tuna before searing)

Place a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Sprinkle pepper and salt over fish. Place fish in grill pan; cook 3 minutes on each side until medium-rare or desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, combine broth, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spoon glaze over fish; top with green onions.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes (including rice)

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1 steak and 1 tablespoon glaze

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 266 (29% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 2.2g,mono 2.3g,poly 2.9g); PROTEIN 40.3g; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 11mg; SODIUM 366mg; FIBER 0.3g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.6g

Source: Marianne Marinelli , Cooking Light, JANUARY 1999

Vegetable Salad

• 1 1/2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all indgredients and serve cold.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: none

Serves: 4