Fresh tuna sandwiches with arugula and sweet pickle mayo

James and I LOVE fresh tuna steaks! I usually sear my tuna steaks and serve it over a mixed greens salad with ponzu, but having it as an open faced sandwich really puts a fun twist on this delicious fish! I often hear that people are intimidated at preparing tuna steaks at home, don't be! It is far more simple than it seems, and quite honestly, is hard to do wrong! Tuna holds up well and is such a delicious piece of fish on it's own, it really doesn't need much to make it a beautiful dish. The trick is to not overcook it, medium rare makes a perfect tuna steak in my opinion, and anything beyond medium will result in a dry, flavorless fish. Trust me :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil or lowfat mayo


• 1/2 cup diced sweet pickles


• 4 (4-6 oz) fresh albacore tuna steaks


• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling


• 4 tsp. herbes de Provence (My favorite seasoning for fish, but you can substitue with various dried herbs)


• 4 slices sharp white cheddar cheese


• 1 (1 lb loaf) ciabetta bread, halved horizontally


• 2 cups arugula


• sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a small bowl mix mayo and pickles and set aside. Pre-heat a grill pan at medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbes de Provence. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Place a slice of cheese on each fish during the last minute of grilling. Brush the bottom half of the bread with olive oil, cut into 4 equal squares, grill on grill pan, cut side down, for around 1 minute, until golden brown. Spread the bread with the sweet pickle mayo, place tuna steak on each piece of bread, top with arugula and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!


*This photo was actually taken last year, we found out shortly after this that Noah was allergic to tuna, but I stumbled across these photos and had to share :) This is one of my favorite Giada recipes, she is my inspiration in most everything I prepare.