Lunch: Oil-Poached Tuna with Fennel and Orange

Recipe by Grace Parisi In this clever one-pot dish, Grace Parisi poaches fennel, shallots and orange zest in extra-virgin olive oil. She then cooks a tuna steak in that oil, making the fish incredibly moist and flavorful.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Tuna, Lemon

Health benefits of Oil-Poached Tuna with Fennel and Orange

Tuna is great for a high protein diet as it has 33 grams of protein within its housing, with no pesky carbohydrates to worry about. In addition to this, tuna contains B vitamins and vitamin D, both of which are vital to fighting back against PCOS. Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Lemons are also rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, and other antioxidants. They can potentially support the immune system and have other health benefits. Lemons also have a low glycemic index, so they should not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar when consumed in natural form.

Ingredients

1 tuna steak
salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c. canola oil
2 bulb fennel
2 large shallots
4 small dried red chiles
6 strip orange zest
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp. Chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 blood orange

Instructions

Season tuna with salt and pepper and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. In a large saucepan, combine oils with sliced fennel, shallots, chiles, orange zest, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to moderate and simmer until fennel and shallots are softened, about 10 minutes. Add tuna to saucepan and simmer until nearly cooked through and fennel is tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer tuna to a plate and let cool slightly.
Strain oil into a heatproof cup. Discard bay leaf, chiles, and orange zest. Shake out as much oil from fennel and shallots as possible; transfer to a bowl. Return oil to saucepan and heat to moderately high. Add one-third of cooked fennel and shallots and fry, stirring, until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, strain crisp fennel and shallots and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.
Stir lemon juice and parsley into remaining fennel-shallot mixture and season with salt and pepper. Spoon fennel onto plates. Thinly slice tuna and transfer to plates. Top with crispy fennel. Garnish with blood orange and fennel fronds. Serve. Looking for more dinner options? Check out our pork chop recipes, chicken recipes, and potato recipes.

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