Blood Orange Ahi Tuna

Now that winter is here, some of my favorite fruits – blood oranges, have come into season.  As well as Cara Cara oranges, I take great delight in zesting, juicing, and eating these dark, rich, and sweet citrus fruits.

Last weekend, I did some prep work in juicing and zesting several types of citrus including oranges (blood, navel, and Cara Cara), lemons, and limes.  It took several hours and the product  is now safely in my freezer for future use in cooking and baking.

During this process, I discovered an over abundance of blood oranges.   As someone who does not like to waste food, I had zested my share of blood oranges, but had more than enough juice.  I wanted to try something nice and light for dinner and came up with the recipe below.  I really hope you like it.

Blood Orange Ahi Tuna

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (8 ounce) ahi tuna steaks
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups blood orange juice
1/2 teaspoon of blood orange zest

Directions
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear tuna on one side for about four minutes. Flip and sear other side for three and a half minutes, or until tuna is cooked to your satisfaction. Remove from skillet and allow to rest.

Return skillet to heat and slowly add the white wine. Scrape bottom of pan with spatula to remove any seared tuna bits from sticking to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and add shallot and garlic. Cook and stir until shallot is clear, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in blood orange juice. Boil until the liquid has reduced to half its original volume or until it thickens. Add tuna briefly to cook on each side.  Remove from heat.

Slice the tuna across the grain. Fan the slices out onto a place and drizzle with blood orange sauce.  Sprinkle the zest on the dish for garnish.

I enjoy this dish when the tuna is served on top of a bed of spinach greens.  Enjoy.