Tuna poached in white wine & herbs to infuse it with flavor, served with a rich tomato sauce over white bean puree and blanched green beans
I obviously love making drinks, and adding alcohol to your cooking always takes your food to the next level.
I did a little brainstorming and remembered that I'd recently poached some salmon in wine and that it was incredibly delicious. One of those under-the-radar recipes that seems too easy to turn out as good as it does.
However, this time I used tuna since it was on sale, and it was just as delicious as the salmon!
When you poach something, you infuse it with the liquid it is submerged in.
Poaching in water... well, it will likely have very little flavor. Poaching in wine... gimme! gimme! gimme!
You don't need much wine. In fact, there's only ½ cup in there. Which is perfect if everyone is planning on having a glass with dinner 🙂
Always thinking about food photography and how a recipe should be served to make it look appetizing on my blog, I realized that a poached piece of tuna was hardly going to get people running to the kitchen to poach.
It's just not the prettiest piece of fish you've ever seen.
So I reduced the poaching liquid to make a sauce, adding in some tomato paste and a few chopped olives at the end to pack in the flavor.
Then I served my poach tuna and an optional sauce over white bean puree with some blanched green & wax beans. Voila! A beautiful, flavorful meal ready in less than 35 minutes.
Honestly, you can skip all the sauce-making, green bean blanching, and/or white bean pureeing if you'd like. But I highly recommend poaching your next piece of tuna or salmon in some wine. It really brings out the wonderful flavor of the fish without overpowering it. And it's pretty hard to mess up.
All you do is heat water and a little wine with a crushed clove of garlic and a few sprigs of herbs -- I used parsley and dill, but thyme and parsley are also a delicious combination. Bring that to a simmer, and add the tuna. Let barely simmer for 3 minutes. Make sure it is just simmering; you are trying to gently cook the fish, not boil it to pieces. Then carefully flip the fish and cook another 4-6 minutes until done. And that's it!
All the other stuff - the bean puree, the sauce, the blanched beans - that's all lagniappe. Yes, it's tasty and pairs perfectly with your wine-poached tuna but it's not necessary.
So take the night off from the grill or from overcooking {and drying out} your fish in the oven, and poach your tuna {or salmon}!
Wine Poached Tuna with White Bean Puree and Blanched Beans
Ingredients
For the blanched beans:
- 4 cups water
- 1 lb green beans or wax beans or combination
For the tuna:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 clove garlic smashed
- 2 sprigs parsley
- 2 sprigs dill or thyme, fresh
- 1.25 lb tuna steaks
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped olives optional, about 2 olives
For the white bean puree:
- 15 oz can white beans rinsed & drained
- 1 tablespoon parsley fresh, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
For the beans:
- Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan and add green or wax beans. Boil for 3 minutes. Drain and run cold water to cool. Let cool while cooking the tuna.
For the tuna:
- Add the water, wine, garlic clove, salt, parsley, and dill {or thyme} to a saucepan that is large enough to fit the tuna in one layer {you can use the same saucepan you used for cooking the green beans for less clean-up}.
- Bring to a simmer {not a boil}, and add tuna. Let simmer for 3 minutes and carefully flip over tuna to cook the other side for another 4-6 minutes until done, depending on thickness of tuna.
- Remove from cooking liquid and let rest while making sauce
For the sauce:
- Remove & discard the herbs and garlic clove from the poaching liquid. Turn the heat to high and boil to reduce the liquid to about ⅓ cup. {This should take about 5-8 minutes, giving you enough time to make the white bean puree}.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, butter, and tomato paste until butter melts and tomato paste is completely incorporated. Stir in chopped olives, if using.
For the white bean puree:
- Meanwhile, add the white beans, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper to a mini food processor.
- Blend until completely smooth.
To serve:
- When ready to serve, plate about ¼ cup white bean puree and top with ½ cup of of the blanched green/wax beans. Top with ¼ tuna and spoon about 2 tablespoon sauce over fish. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Facts
LydiaF
I don't think I've ever poached tuna. I'll have to give it a try. I had to laugh about your sauce story. 🙂
Meme
You must try it! It's so tasty and incredibly easy. Glad my story made you laugh; I feel like any food blogger can relate 😉
Serena
Brilliant! I always forget about this simple technique of poaching in wine! Thanks for the reminder...and loved the story about how you punched up the color in this photo ...as a piece of fish isn't too colorful. (:
Meme
Thanks Serena! I hate that fish is one of my favorite things but it never photographs well, but sauce & sides to the rescue!
Bridget @ The Road Not Processed
Love the healthy cooking method of making this fish..also loveeee the look that tuna. I am thinking about the white wine pairing and sounds too good
Meme
Thanks!! It's delish and super easy and healthy to boot! My new favorite way to make tuna & salmon
GiGi Eats
Oh this recipe is being PINNED! This looks phenomenal and now I am craving tuna, EVEN MORE than I already am... Cause I am always craving it! 😀 😀
Meme
Thanks!! I am the same way - I love tuna! Make that all seafood!! 🙂
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge)
Looks gorgeous! Love your photos- so pretty! I have not poached anything before... will have to try it!
Meme
Thanks Alex! You must try poaching tuna or salmon; it's super simple and incredibly tasty
Danielle Omar - Food Confidence RD
I adore poached fish...this looks fantastic!
Meme
Thanks Danielle! Isn't it the best?!
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby
I still haven't poached anything! Maybe I'll do this with some salmon I've got in the fridge this week. For some reason the idea of poaching in wine is much more motivating than water! ha ha Love this!
Meme
Haha I know, right?! This is exactly what you need to do with that salmon in your fridge. You'll love it!
Dietitian Debbie
We eat fish frequently so I am always looking for new ways to flavor it. Love the idea of poaching it in wine. 🙂 Also, you made dinner a no brainer by including the recipes for the bean puree and blanched beans. Yum!
Meme
I love poaching in wine because it's still healthy but isn't as boring as regular poached fish can be. Happy to help with the dinner planning 🙂 Enjoy!
Jim
Just wondering if this dish is served hot or cold....if making for a large group (say 10 or 12), it looks like it might be tough to get everything done at the same time if is supposed to be served hot/warm. It does look delicious though.
Meme
I served it hot, so I'm not sure how it would taste cold. I think if you had big enough pots then you might be able to get it together to do all at once. Good luck!