Seared Tuna with Sweet & Spicy Noodles

Seared Tuna with Sweet & Spicy Noodles
from Penzeys Spice catalog Early Summer 2001

1 lb. tuna steaks in 4 pieces
1 tsp peanut oil

marinade:
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp minced garlic

pasta dressing:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp dried cilantro leaves
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 tsp lime juice
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
12 oz. thin spaghetti or your favorite pasta

Rinse tuna, pat dry. Combine marinade ingredients and whisk to blend. Place tuna in a shallow bowl in one layer and pour marinade over the fish. Turn to coat, cover, and refrigerate at least one hour, turning at least once during refrigeration time.

Combine pasta dressing ingredients, whisk to blend, set aside. Make pasta according to package directions. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add oil to pan. Sear tuna (3 minutes per side for medium rare). When the pasta is done, toss with dressing to combine and serve as bed underneath tuna.

Notes: I knew there was a reason I was tearing out the interesting sounding recipes from these catalogs and hanging on to them. This came out quite well, though I must admit that some of the other tuna marinades I've tried are more savory and I'm sure that's not just because I chose to use fresh minced garlic as opposed to the granulated garlic originally listed. I also cooked the tuna only 2 minutes a side because I prefer it more rare. As for the pasta, I could easily see serving it as a side with a number of other combinations - it was very good.