Split-style tuna | Tunjevina na Splitski

This was my first time ever cooking a tuna steak. Tuna, at all, really. I have eaten it loads of times as sushi and canned, but this steak thing was a first.

I didn’t really fancy having the centre raw so I did ‘overcook’ it, but it tasted delicious. I’ve also never tried any kind of fish with red wine so this was a first in itself but it tasted delightful and I will definitely try this sauce again when making any kind of barbequed meat dish. The recipe calls for Varenik or vincotto. I used vincotto and it was fine (and easily bought from the supermarket!) But one day I will try my hand at Varenik (about five kilos of grapes boiled down into a syrup).

I took this recipe from Ino Kuvacic’s book, Dalmatia, and while he too has had a play on the traditional Split recipe, which meant leaving the tuna to stew in the red wine sauce, I enjoyed this simple recipe that is perfect for “fish night.”

Ingredients:

• Four tuna steaks (Ino says one kilo)
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the red wine and onion sauce:

• Two (2) brown onions, thinly sliced
• 100mls extra-virgin olive oil
• Four (4) garlic cloves, crushed
• 500mls red wine
• 50mls vincotto
• 50 grams sultanas

Potato salad:

Three (3) whole waxy potatoes

Half an onion, very thinly sliced

100mls extra-virgin olive oil

• 30mls white wine vinegar

• 

Method:

1. Starting with the potato salad, boil the potatoes in their skins in boiling salted water until cooked.
2. Leave them to cool slightly, but while still warm peel the skins and cut into one centimetre slices. Add the oil, vinegar, onion and season.
3. For the sauce, sauté the onion in the olive oil for about 15 minutes on a low heat until translucent.
4. Add the garlic, sauté for five seconds, then add the wine, vincotto and sultanas and boil on high until the sauce thickens and has reduced by two-thirds.
5. Season the tuna and preheat the bbq grill or pan to high.
6. Grill the tuna (to your liking) Ino says two minutes on each side.
7. Serve the tuna steak on top of the potato salad and top with the sauce.
8. Drizzle with olive oil and you’re ready!