This time of the year begs for fresh food and brightly colored dishes on your table. Enter this beautiful salad brimming with everything from tender greens and vegetables tossed with a light vinaigrette to roasted spring potatoes to lightly sautéed asparagus and shallots. Crown all of this (and more) with some sliced seared ahi tuna and it's a meal that is sure to have everyone around the table cheering.
For the salad, choose whichever fresh greens you have on hand or, ideally, are at the height of their season now. May is an excellent time to lean on spring's finest greens and main dish salads benefit from being built on a foundation of locally grown seasonal greens. If you cannot find spring potatoes (sometimes also called new potatoes), opt for small red potatoes or a medley of small potatoes for this meal. I soft boiled my eggs because I like a jammy egg, but you can give yours another 2-3 minutes of resting in the very hot water to bring yours to fully set. And, as always, cook your fish to the level of doneness you prefer. I think the raw fish is absolutely beautiful on the plate and downright delicious, but make it yours.
This meal is complete. Just pour a glass of your favorite beverage - everything from chilled white wine to iced tea work well - and sit down and enjoy a meal that is quick, yet fancy and nutritious and delicious. What an excellent way to celebrate spring.
Spring Salad with Seared Tuna
- 8 oz. spring potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon Penzeys Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken/Fish Seasoning or similar seasoning, divided
- 2 eggs, soft boiled
- 6 oz. asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ cup thinly sliced shallots or red onions
- 8 oz. sushi-grade ahi tuna
- 1 teaspoon everything bagel seasoning
- 6 oz. romaine lettuce, chopped
- 6 oz. baby spinach, torn
- ½ cup diced red pepper
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons your choice of vinaigrette
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
Preheat the oven to 425° F. Toss the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and ⅓ teaspoon of the Penzeys seasoning and lay on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. Set aside until ready to assemble the salads.
While the potatoes are roasting, soft boil the eggs by bringing them to a boil in a sauce pan from cold, turning off the heat and covering the sauce pan for 6 minutes before placing the eggs in an ice water bath and setting them aside until ready to assemble the salads.
Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil to a sauté pan and add the asparagus and shallots. Sauté the vegetables over medium-high heat until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes, adding ⅓ teaspoon of the Penzeys seasoning to them about halfway through cooking. Remove them to a plate; set aside until ready to assemble the salads.
In the same sauté pan, add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Rub the everything bagel seasoning into both sides of the ahi tuna and sear the fish in the pan until you have reached your desired level of doneness. I like my tuna just seared on the outside and raw inside, so I cook it for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and allow it to rest while you assemble the rest of the salads.
Combine the romaine, spinach, red pepper, green onions, and vinaigrette of your choice. (I like to use a citrusy dressing for this dish.) Set the dressed greens on two large serving plates. Arrange the potatoes and asparagus on opposite sides of each plate. Peel and slice the eggs in half and set them on one side between the potatoes and asparagus on each plate. Add the olives to the other side.
Carefully slice the seared tuna into long, thin strips and set it on the center of each serving plate. Enjoy!
- Yields: 2 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes