Grilled Tuna with Halter Ranch Syrah

Easy grilled tuna steak served with eggplant and peppers for healthy dinner. We served the grilled tuna with a Syrah from Paso Robles.

The result? Not sure if this is properly considered Paso Robles cuisine, but it was definitely rooted in what I learned about the food in the area. And it definitely worked with the wine! Read on for the Grilled Tuna, Eggplant and Peppers recipe and wine pairing details.

Wine Pairing for Grilled Tuna

Sure, a Pinot Noir can work nicely with salmon, but a big bold Syrah for seafood? Well, the meaty tuna is very substantial, and turned out to pair well with the 2011 Halter Ranch Syrah. This wine has a big fragrance of violets and forest floor. I got blackberry jam and white pepper taste. I had my initial taste before I started grilling the tuna. By the time we settled down to eat about 10 minutes later, the Syrah had really opened nicely and was showing a lot of finesse on the long finish. This helped it make a nice harmonious pairing with the tuna–plenty of substance for this meaty fish with the spice element to work with the food. I could definitely imagine eating this flavorful pairing al fresco on a warm evening in Paso Robles!

Recipe card

Grilled Tuna with Eggplant and Peppers

Print Recipe

Grilled tuna topped with a flavorful blend of grilled eggplant and peppers.

• Author: Cooking Chat
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: 3 servings 1x
• Category: Main
• Method: grilling
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup chopped grilled eggplant (instructions below)
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped and coated with cooking oil spray
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped and coated with cooking oil spray
• 1 serrano pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ clove garlic minced
• 1 high quality tuna steak, 10 to 12 ozs
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt

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Instructions

1. Prepare the eggplant and pepper mixture: slice the eggplant ½ inch thick. Spread the eggplant slices on a plate in a single layer. Salt the eggplant sliced generously, and let the eggplant sit and aborb the salt for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat a grill to medium high. Spread the salted eggplant on the grill or a grill pan. Coat with cooking oil spray. Place the grill pan on the grill to cook the eggplant. Turn the slices over after 5 minutes, and grill for another 5 minutes or so until the eggplant is cooked to a nice tenderness and has begun to caramelize. Remove the eggplant from the grill and set aside to cool.
3. Start grilling the bell peppers and hot peppers at the same time as the eggplant. Place the chopped bell peppers in a grill pan onto the grill, or something else to keep them from slipping through. At the same time, place the whole hot peppers on the grill. After 5 minutes turn the hot peppers over and stir up the bell peppers. Check the peppers after another 5 minutes. The bell peppers are done when they are softened and browned; the hot peppers should be nicely singed all over. When done, place the bell peppers in a mixing bowl and close the hot peppers in a brown paper bag to cool. Keep the grill heated for the tuna.
4. When the eggplant has cooled, chop it into bite sized pieces and add to the bowl with the bell peppers.
5. Remove the hot peppers from the bag. Place on a cutting board, and slice off and remove the pepper skin with a sharp knife. Slice open the peppers, and remove most of the seeds. Use more seeds if you want the dish hotter. Chop the hot peppers into small pieces and add to the mixing bowl.
6. Add the olive oil and garlic to the pepper/eggplant mixture, and stir to combine. Set aside as you prepare the tuna.
7. Combine the cumin, garlic powder and salt in a bowl. Gently rub the spice mixture onto the tuna, and set aside for a few minutes.
8. Grill the tuna for about 90 seconds on one side, then turn for another 90 seconds on the others side. This gives you a rare tuna steak, with the outside seared in the middle just warmed a bit. When done to your liking, remove the tuna to a platter.
9. Slice the tuna crosswise into the slices. Serve by fanning 4 to 6 slices of tuna out on a plate around a generous dollop of the pepper and eggplant mixture.

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Join the #winePW conversation: Follow the #winePW conversation on Twitter throughout the weekend and beyond. If you’re reading this early enough, you can join us for a live Twitter chat on our theme “Regional Food & Wine Pairings” on Saturday, September 13, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time. You can also visit our group Pinterest board to pin some great pairing ideas for later! Stay tuned for the October Wine Pairing Weekend, which will focus on “Fall Fruits and Wine Pairings” on Saturday, October 11.