Fresh Tuna Salad with Tropical Fruits

From EatingWell: Spring 2003 — Subscribe Now!

Colorful tropical fruit contrasts with slightly bitter salad greens and fresh tuna steak to make a refreshing main-dish salad. Good-quality tuna is key to the success of this recipe. The secret to buying fresh fish is to ask to smell it: the tuna should smell briny, clean and fresh, like the ocean on a spring morning, not like the tidal flats on a hot summer afternoon. Do not use fresh pineapple juice, which has an enzyme that "cooks" the fish as it marinates.

Fresh Tuna Salad with Tropical Fruits Recipe

4 servings, about 2 1/2 cups each

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

3 tablespoons frozen pineapple juice concentrate
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound tuna steak, (about 1 inch thick) (see Note)
Pineapple-Mint Vinaigrette, (recipe follows)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups mixed salad greens
1 small head radicchio, cored and shredded (about 2 cups)
1 ripe mango, (about 12 ounces), peeled, pitted and sliced
2 kiwis, peeled and cut into 8 pieces each

Preparation

Whisk pineapple juice concentrate, water, soy sauce, honey and pepper in a small bowl. Place tuna steak in a shallow pan. Pour the marinade over the tuna; turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, turning twice.
Meanwhile, make Pineapple-Mint Vinaigrette.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tuna; cook until browned and just opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer tuna to a cutting board; let stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine greens, radicchio, mango and kiwis in a large bowl. Pour on 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates.
Cut tuna into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Top each salad with tuna and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: The greens and fruit can be tossed together (without the dressing) and stored under a barely moistened paper towel in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours.

Note: If you prefer your tuna medium-rare, as it is often served in restaurants, use sushi-grade (or sashimi) tuna, if you can find it, and cook it for about 3 minutes per side.

Nutrition

Per serving: 469 calories; 23 g fat (4 g sat, 14 g mono); 43 mg cholesterol; 39 g carbohydrates; 29 g protein; 4 g fiber; 479 mg sodium; 927 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (140% daily value), Vitamin A (90% dv), Selenium (60% dv), Folate & Potassium (26% dv), Magnesium (23% dv), Iron (15% dv).

2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 fruit, 1 vegetable, 4 very lean protein, 3 1/2 fat