This burger was somewhat of a revelation. While trying to simplify a time-consuming recipe, and using whatever ingredients I had in the pantry so as to avoid another trip to the market, I ended up with what will be a new family favorite. For those of us who prefer rare tuna, it only took a few seconds to sear both sides of the burger. But one great thing about this tuna is that it stayed moist and tender even when cooked through, as in the photo above. Try to find a tapenade that is a good mixture of Mediterranean flavors…black olives, capers, herbs and spices and olive oil. Most grocery stores have at least one or two and of course you will have lots of choices at a speciality food market. Note that the burgers need to chill for about 30 minutes before cooking.
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For one sandwich:
3-4 ounces fresh tuna
1 generous tablespoon prepared black olive tapenade*
coarse ground black pepper
1 split English muffin
olive oil
1/2 green scallion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped tomato
1 tablespoon mayonnaise, thinned with 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers, drained and rinsed
Use a sharp knife to mince the tuna into 1/4 inch pieces then place it in a small bowl and gently stir in the tapenade and a nice big pinch of black pepper. Since some tapenades are quite salty, it is best not to add additional salt at this point. Also, the product I used had a nice amount of olive oil. If your tapenade seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil to the tuna. Using your hands, gently mold the tuna into a patty and place it in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly, (about 30 minutes) as this will help the burger hold together while cooking. When ready to serve, brush English muffin with olive oil and toast. Place tomato and green onion on bottom half of English muffin bun. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil, remove the tuna burger from the frig and use a spatula to gently place in in the pan. I know that I keep saying “gently” but the point here is that this is a fragile burger and that is what makes it so good…you don’t want to overwork it. Once one side is nicely seared, it will start to hold together and the English muffin is the perfect “bun” as it provides the right amount of structure. So, cook the burger to order over high heat and serve it on the English muffin topped with the mayo mix and the capers and a sprinkle of salt if necessary.
*Tapenade: a Provencal paste or dip, made from black olives, capers and anchovies
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