Cook the Book: Oven-Baked Tuna with a Savory Topping

Ingredients

• 1 pound tuna steaks fresh
• 6  olives black pitted
• 1 tablespoon capers rinsed drained
• 16  cherry tomatoes ripe coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs dry fine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin extra-virgin
• 1 teaspoon pepper dried red crushed
• 0.5 teaspoon sea salt 

Equipment

• oven

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Pat the tuna steak dry.
3. Spread a little of the olive oil over the bottom of an oven dish in which the tuna will fit comfortably and set the steak in the dish. Smear a little more oil over the top of the steak and sprinkle on the salt and chili.
4. Chop together the black olives, capers, and basil to make a coarse, crumbly mixture. Pile this on top of the tuna and then add the chopped tomatoes.
5. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the tomatoes and dribble the remaining oil over the top.
6. Transfer the dish to the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tuna is done to taste. (In southern Italy, tuna is almost always cooked well done, but Americans may prefer it with a streak of raw in the middle.)