This is a charming dish to include on your meze table. Flash-fry your tuna so it is still pink in the middle. The labna called for here is a Middle Eastern staple. It is a fresh, creamy cheese made from strained yogurt. You can find an easy recipe for it here at:
https://thehealthychef.com/blogs/recipes/labna-how-to-make-yoghurt-cheese
Preparing the labna does take a day in advance. The rest of this dish can be made in just moment. But treasured all night long.
Sizzling Summer Tuna
Yield: serves 4 as part of a meze plate
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- A small handful of finely chopped cilantro leaves
- 8½ ounces yellowfin tuna, cut into ½-inch chunks juice
- 7 ounces labna
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
- Sea salt
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat and add the garlic and cilantro. Stir-fry for 20 seconds until fragrant. Add the tuna and season with a good pinch of salt. Mix well and stir-fry for about 1 minute until half cooked. Remove the pan from the heat, squeeze in the lemon, and mix well.
Swirl the labna onto a serving dish and top with the tuna. Drizzle over all the juices from the pan. Scatter over the sumac and Aleppo pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Source: Saffron in the Souk by John Gregory-Smith [Kyle, 2019]
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/3.5 for 1/15th second at ISO‑3200