RECIPE: Seared Ahi Tuna with California Corona Beans + Pickled Onions

Sometimes, when you're lucky, you have a chef on your team. And when you're even luckier, they're Italian. This month, our resident chef (and COO), Augusto, cooks up a dish perfect for summer nights on the patio, surrounded by good wine and even better company.

*Bonus points if you make this while doing an Under Luna hair mask ;-) 

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 8 oz. Rancho Gordo California Corona Beans
• 1.5 lbs Ahi Tuna Steaks
• Pickled Onion
• 3 Tablespoons fennel seeds (crushed or ground)
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper
• 3 sprigs of fresh thymes, chopped
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• ½ yellow onion, diced or chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

RECIPE

To prepare the beans:

Rinse them well and transfer them to a large bowl. Cover them with 2-3 inches of water. Soak for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 12 hrs. The longer they soak the shorter the cooking time will be.

Dice or slice your onion and set aside.

Once the beans are ready, strain them. Place in a large pot on low heat. Drizzle enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot and heat up. Add your garlic clove and after a few minutes add your chopped onion. Stir the garlic and onion so it doesn’t burn. Once the onion is translucent add your strained beans to the pot. Let them cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add water to the pot and cover completely with at least 2 inches of water. Add your bay leaf to the pot. Increase the heat and bring the water to boil. Boil for about 10-15 minutes then lower the heat and keep to a simmer. Cover with a lid.

Based on how long they have been soaking, check after 30 minutes and every 10 minutes after that to see if they are cooked. You’ll want to be able to pierce them with a fork without them falling apart. 

 

To prepare the tuna:

While your beans are cooking, prepare your rub for the Tuna.

In a small bow, add your crushed fennel seeds. You can use a mortar and pestle to crush or grind them in a spice grinder. Add your coriander, aleppo pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the same bowl and mix altogether. 

Pat your tuna steaks dry with a paper towel. Place on a cooling rack (optional) with a cookie sheet underneath. Sprinkle a generous amount of rub on all sides of the tuna steaks. 

Place the tuna steaks in the refrigerator until you are done cooking the beans. 30 minutes before you want to start cooking the tuna steaks, you can pull them from the refrigerator.

Putting it all together

Strain the beans once they are cooked and remove and discard the garlic and bay leaf. Optional: save the broth to enjoy on its own!

Dress your beans with salt, pepper and olive oil to taste. Sprinkle chopped thyme on top.

In a skillet, heat up olive oil on high heat. Cook your tuna steaks on both sides 2-3 minutes each. Time will vary based on steak’s thickness). Remove from heat and let it rest for 3-5 minutes.

Place a portion of beans on a plate with your sliced tuna steaks. Enjoy it with picked onions on top.

Drizzle some olive oil over your beans and tuna steaks and crack some fresh pepper.

Buon appetito!