Tuna Steaks with Pesto

They say to eat fish a couple times a week. But, I tire of eating the same ones over and over. It is always salmon, halibut, or cod. I was looking for something a little more interesting last week, and I found the answer in the frozen aisles of Trader Joe's.

Tuna steaks! I had never made them before. Looking to see what was in my pantry, I decided tuna might go well with a warm pesto sauce drizzled on top. Maybe with a side of mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus? Sounded tasty and healthy to me!

The hardest part about cooking is timing everything right: making sure everything is finished cooking at about the same time and it is all warm when served. Start with cutting up the sweet potatoes (2 for 2 people). I kept the skin on to add some texture to the mash. Put them in hot water and let them boil until soft. Then, season the fish with salt and pepper and put them in a hot oiled pan to start searing over high heat. While one side is cooking, drain the potatoes, put them back in the pot, and started mashing them with some cinnamon salt and pepper. Then flip the tuna, only searing for 1-2 minutes on each side depending on how rare you like it. Meanwhile, pop some asparagus in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, heat up some pesto sauce, and dinner is served!

I was very happy with the final product. The tuna was not overly seasoned, so the pesto sauce added the perfect lemony tang and garlicky bite. It kept the fish moist, as I find fish can be dry without a sauce to soak up. The mashed sweet potatoes were a colorful side dish, fluffy and cinnamon sweet. And the asparagus... well was just the healthy green veggie that made it a balanced meal. As the least interesting part of the meal, it was the first thing eaten off my plate so I could enjoy the and savor the rest.