Tuna Confit with Black Olive Tapenade and Tomato Salsa
This Tuna Confit with Black Olive Tapenade and Tomato Salsa was another elegant, restaurant-worthy recipe from Dorie Greenspan.
The tuna was gently poached in olive oil infused with garlic, citrus, and other flavorings. Then it was paired with vibrant tomato salsa for a gourmet entree.
Why You’ll Love Tuna Confit
- If you love seared tuna, this is another delicious way to serve it!
- It’s an easy, yet elegant dish.
- It can be served as an appetizer or entree.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Confit?
If you’re wondering what the heck a confit is, the word simply refers to meat cooked in its own fat. It’s an ancient method of preserving.
Duck confit seems to be the best-known version, and is a component of a classic French dish, cassoulet. So this Tuna Confit may not officially fit the definition, but it was slow-cooked in olive oil. And no ordinary olive oil as it was well flavored with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest and juice, preserved lemons, and more.
How Do You Pronounce Confit?
This culinary term is pronounced cone-FEE.
How long can you keep Tuna Confit?
Leftover confit and marinade can be kept in the refrigerator up 2 days. Serve leftovers chilled or at room temperature.
Tips for Making Tuna Confit
- Served with flavorful tomato salsa and black olive tapenade, the confit looks lovely sliced and fanned out on a dinner plate.
- Make sure to buy high-quality, sushi-grade tuna for the tastiest results.
- Dorie recommends serving this confit recipe in a shallow soup plate over a bed of mashed potatoes.
- She also suggests saving the poaching oil to use in a vinaigrette for a salad Nicoise.
Bill was less than interested in sampling it, as he prefers his tuna out of a can and in a casserole. I whipped up some crab cakes to round out our seafood-centric meal. There was more one than “something’s fishy around here” reference at dinner time. The tuna itself didn’t pick up a ton of flavor from the flavored oil, but a drizzle of it over the slices made for an outstanding meal.
The recipes can be found in The Washington Post: Part I and Part II. Plus, if you’re a fan of tuna, you may enjoy my Ahi Tuna Tartare as well.
Skinny Tip
I’m offering a series of Skinny Tips. How I keep slim is one of my most frequent inquiries. I’ll feature more tips on some of my upcoming blog posts. Click on the #SkinnyTip tag at the end of this post to see all my previous tips.
Tip #34: Marinating is an excellent way of infusing flavor without too many added calories. I marinate chicken, chops, flank steaks and more. Put the meat and marinade in a ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight. Since it’s grilling season, just remove from the bag and grill to perfection for a delicious entree. No creamy sauces needed, though my hubby will still douse his entree with ketchup!
31 Comments on “Tuna Confit with Black Olive Tapenade and Tomato Salsa”
Beautiful, elegant and totally flavorful. I know I would be in heaven with this dish, Lizzy 🙂
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
xo
okay,
seriously, Liz,
this dish took my breath away.
Wait, while I go find it! xx
gorgeous. I LOVE tuna.
Lovely presentation! Tuna confit is a first for me as well.
I knew that husband of yours was a Winner. Any man that douses his entrées with ketchup is a man after my own heart. Pitter. Patter. How about scrambled eggs? Sliced carrots? Seriously, ketchup makes most food taste better – and that’s straight from the mouth of an Iowa girl. Liz, your tuna confit looks spectacular. Exactly how tuna confit is supposed to look. So I already know that it had to have an amazing taste. I made it. Wrote about it. Didn’t post it. My tuna confit obviously needed ketchup.
Your tuna came out perfect, I over cooked mine. We are not tuna fans so I will probably not make this again.
Oh Liz- your results are just gorgeous. Magazine worth plating 🙂 My hubby is a big fan of tuna and he rarely gets it at home. He would have loved the rosy color that you actually nailed. Luckily my guys all enjoyed it anyway- even if mine was a bit more “done”. And great idea to round out the meal with crabcakes for a seafood fest. YUM.
Wow I really must have messed something up (though I didn’t stray from the instructions) to have my tuna so white in the centre 🙁 Yours looks lovely.
How elegant! I’ve never heard of tuna confit…just stunning Liz!
Wow Liz this looks perfect. My family would adore this. I’ll have to pull out the recipe. Nicely done and plated!
That looks beautifully cooked. You make me laugh with the ketchup comment. 🙂
I have this image of you sitting at the dining room table eating your marinated tuna and Bill sitting next to you eating his from a can 🙂
Your dish is lovely!