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Pasta Salad with Seared Tuna and Citrus Dressing

  • Contributed by Quick From Scratch One-Dish Meals
  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME:
  • SERVINGS: 4

Here's an ideal warm-weather meal with the refreshing flavors of mint, orange, lemon, and cucumber. Tuna, hot from the pan, is cut into chunks and tossed with the room-temperature pasta salad. You could also cook the tuna outside on the grill.

Our Pairing Suggestion

Whether you make this salad with tuna or one of the alternatives listed in the box below, a dry Riesling from Alsace will be splendid. Its lime, mineral, and herbal notes will brilliantly echo the salad and set off the fish.

Recipe: Pasta Salad with Seared Tuna and Citrus Dressing

  • FAST
  • MAKE-AHEAD

Ingredients

  1. 1/2 pound spaghettini
  2. 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  3. 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (from about 1/4 orange)
  4. 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
  5. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  6. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  7. Salt
  8. Fresh-ground black pepper
  9. 6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  10. 2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into thin slices
  11. 6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  12. 1 pound tuna steak, about 1 inch thick
  1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghettini until just done, about 9 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain thoroughly.
  2. In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, mustard, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add 6 tablespoons of the oil slowly, whisking. Add the spaghettini, cucumbers, and mint and toss.
  3. Heat a grill pan or heavy frying pan over moderately high heat. Coat the tuna with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Cook, turning once, until done to your taste, about 2 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove. Cut the tuna into 1-inch chunks and toss with the spaghettini.
Notes Fish Alternatives
You could use salmon fillets or swordfish steaks in place of the tuna. For either, add a few minutes to the cooking time.
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