Let's just marinate

Beautiful, beautiful tuna steaks.

I could, and intend to, write an entire post about the glorious building that is Mercado Central: over 100 stalls selling dried fruits and nuts, eggs, bread and pastries, fresh fish and seafood, fruits, vegetables, goat heads, cheese, meats, the list goes on and on. Plus, it's supremely, superbly, gloriously inexpensive. Tommy and I bought about three pounds of produce for under 10 Euros and two hunks of tuna steak (fresh) for another 9.

The best part about the Mercado, besides the selection and the prices, is that it offers up the opportunity to practice your Spanish. This is an extra-special boon to me due to my inability to converse intelligently about anything other than edible products. The man we bought our chorizo and manchego from told me I spoke very well, the fish vendor asked where Tommy and I were from. So hmm.

Anyway, we bought these incredible tuna steaks that were from a fish that was allegedly caught that morning and probably weighed as much as I do. Really, truly, terrifyingly large.

The head was unavailable for me to see but if you are in the market to purchase seafood, check the eyes: if they're cloudy, the product is old and you should skip it. Shrimp, crayfish, prawns should all be firm to the touch and if I were you I'd ask the seller to de-vein them right then and there because it is a tricky, messy, endocrine business I'm sure you want nothing to do with. If they give you attitude, find a different seller. Same goes for buying fish you want filleted. That's typically part of a fishmonger's job so don't be shy about asking.

Anyway, back to the tuna. We cooked it later that night after marinating it at room temperature for just under an hour in an Asian-inspired marinade I made up off the top of my head. If you are in the states and can find Soy Vey Teriyaki sauce this would also work well (for beef and chicken too).

After marinating, we pan-fried the tuna for just a few minutes on each side and served it over fluffy white rice and it was so fucking good. The perfect combination of sweet, savory, tangy, salty deliciousness. If I had crushed red peppers (which I can't seem to find in this country), I would've added them too for a hint of heat and maybe some green onions.

Not to blow my own horn, but this marinade was the stuff of genius. It will certainly be made again very soon. Ditto the mojitos mixologist Tommy cooked up which were unbelievably good as well, perhaps due to the large amounts of sugar he added.

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh tuna, without skin
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. honey
1 tsp. soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes and 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
Cracked black pepper

1. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and place the tuna steaks in there. Let marinate at room temperature for 45 minutes, turning the steaks once or twice.

2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the tuna steaks for 2-3 minutes each side (depending on thickness). If you like your tuna seared (cooked on the outside and raw in the middle), cook only for a minute or two.

3. When the tuna is cooked through (it should flake into sections with your fork), remove from heat immediately and serve over rice.