Tuna fish for company

We don't eat much fresh tuna because I'm too frugal to buy it.  These beautiful chunks were a gift from a friend.  Her husband line-caught it on a fishing trip off Westport.  That was generous and I'm not sure I'd share if John ever caught one of these guys.  I don't know what "kind" of tuna it is, but it's definitely not the "kind" Starkist puts in cans. Bless her, my mom could make a mushroom soup casserole (potato chips on top) with one can of tuna that fed a family of five. In a Japanese restaurant, this much tuna would be shaved up into dozens of sashimi portions.

Our friend Mark from Ohio was staying with us this weekend, and the three of us polished off these pieces with some brown rice and cherry tomato salad. Our single plant is producing more ripe tomatoes than we can keep up with. What a nice problem.

Tuna served in restaurants is charred on the outside but the inside is rare (raw) and cold. It sounds unappetizing, but that's how most people love it. Salmon is usually served undercooked too, because chefs are careful not to ruin an expensive piece of fish to the point of dryness. There's a middle ground, but the problem with grilling fish is you cross that line from "done" to "dry" in about an instant.

This fish would have been fine grilled plain with just a little salt and pepper, but since it was a special treat I marinated the pieces first in soy sauce, Mirin wine, chopped ginger and olive oil. 

Tuna is so solid and meaty it grills and turns just like beef steak. I finished it with a little pat of butter for dryness insurance.

It looks like a pork chop and is just as filling. Most people would consider this tuna overcooked, but it still had a tinge of pink and it was moist enough. At least John and Mark gave it a thumbs up.