Tuna Steaks with Tzatziki

Friday June 6

The weather is getting summer-hot, and Greek food seems to be the right thing; maybe because it doesn't involve long cooking, or maybe because we're used to eating it while on excavation/tour in Greece, and that's usually during summer. Also, this was done on the spur of the moment, and as we were very hungry, the preparation couldn't take too long.

The tuna steaks were Trader Joe's frozen; we put the package under water in the sink to defrost until bendable. In the meantime, we set a cup of plain yogurt in a sieve lined with cheesecloth to drain, and peeled and diced up a mess (okay, 3or 4) of little pickling cukes, salted them, and let them drain. When both had dripped sufficiently, we patted the cuke cubes dry and mixed them with the yogurt.

Now here's the beauty part. Normally you make tzatziki with chopped garlic, and unless you let it sit and rest for at least two hours, the fresh garlic will make it taste harsh and raw. So we used a handful of garlic chives, finely minced, instead. A squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, and it tasted great immediately.

The tuna steaks were dusted with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper, and quickly pan-fried, left slightly rosy and rare inside. The pan was deglazed with more lemon juice, and the results poured over the fish. Kali orexi!