Herb Salad with Thyme-Crusted Tuna

Updated March 30, 2017

Contributors

Cookbook

Eric: Joel Robuchon inspired this salad—he used to serve a similar one in Paris—and I could eat it every day. To make it even better, toss in truffle shavings and barbecue the tuna. Maguy: Barbecue Tuna? Oooh-la-la. I guess you'd say this is our tribute to American salads. Thank goodness we shave truffles on top to make the salad really French.

4 servings

Cooking Methodgrilling, pan-frying

CostSplurge

Easy

Total Timeunder 15 minutes

Make Ahead RecipeYes

Kid FriendlyYes

One Pot MealYes

OccasionFormal Dinner Party

Recipe Courseappetizer

Five Ingredients or LessYes

Mealdinner, lunch

Moodfestive

Taste and Textureherby, light

Type of Dishfirst course salad

Ingredients

4 cups mesclun (baby greens)
4 teaspoons fresh chervil leaves
12 small fresh basil leaves
20 fresh tarragon leaves
8 fresh mint leaves
2 (1-inch-thick) tuna steaks (about 10 ounces each)
4 teaspoons barely chopped fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup vinaigrette
Balsamic vinegar, for garnish
Two 10-inch nonstick skillets

Instructions

1 In a bowl, toss the mesclun with the chervil, basil, tarragon, and mint. Set aside.
2 Trim off and discard the dark blood section of the tuna. Sprinkle one side of each tuna steak with a teaspoon of thyme, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each steak and rub it into the tuna. Turn the steaks over and repeat on the other side.
3 Heat two 10-inch nonstick skillets over high heat until just smoking. Add 1 tuna steak to each skillet and sear until the tuna is browned on the outside and rare, but warm in the center, about 1½ minutes per side. Cut the tuna on the diagonal into ½-inch-wide slices.
4 Toss the mesclun mixture with the vinaigrette. Divide the salad among 4 dinner plates, mounding it to the side of the plate. Fan the tuna slices in a half-circle around the salad. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each plate, making an arc in front of the tuna. Drizzle a few drops of balsamic vinegar into the olive oil and serve immediately.

1998 Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze

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