This light, colorful, and cool salad with slices of seared fresh tuna has a citrus dressing – very easy for a summer night. Slice the radishes and celery almost razor thin for an elegant look.

Serves 4

  • 1 bunch watercress (about 1 1/2 cups), washed, dried, with larger stems removed
  • 3 cups slivered napa cabbage (about 1/2 head)
  • 1 cup pre-shelled frozen edamame beans (found with frozen vegetables)
  • 2 tablespoons tan sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
  • 1 1-pound tuna steak, cut into 2 pieces
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • Orange-ginger vinaigrette, recipe follows
  • 5 radishes, cut in half and very thinly sliced
  • 3 navel oranges, cut into sections*
  • 2 stalks celery, each stalk sliced lengthwise and each half very thinly sliced on a diagonal

1. Place the watercress and slivered cabbage in a wide, shallow serving dish or salad bowl.

2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add frozen edamame beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking and to keep them green.

3. Mix the sesame seeds on a plate and dredge the tuna on both sides, pressing lightly so the seeds adhere. Heat a heavy sauté pan, such as cast iron, over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the oil and sear the tuna on one side for about 3 or 4 minutes, or until a 1/4-inch thick crust forms. Turn the tuna and sear on the other side, another 2 to 4 minutes. Let cool slightly, and then slice the tuna against the grain into thin 1 1/2-inch-long pieces.

4. To serve, pour two-thirds of the vinaigrette over the watercress and cabbage. Mix well. Top with the edamame, radishes, oranges, and celery. Place the slices of tuna on top of the veggies. Drizzle all with the remainder of the dressing and serve. Alternately, you can prepare individual plates to serve.

*To section the oranges: Use a sharp knife to remove the peel and pith from the orange, first by cutting off the top and bottom, then slicing off the sides along its contours. Trim off any remaining pith, which is bitter. Cut into each segment between the membranes to remove the flesh from the membrane.

Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger (a Microplane grater works well)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a jar with a lid or a vinaigrette bottle, combine all of the ingredients and shake vigorously to dissolve the honey.

This recipe was originally published with the article, Appreciating Tuna.