Steak au Poivre used to be one of my favorites when I was still eating red meat. Now that I’m a pescatarian and eat only fish and seafood, I decided to try a twist on the original with yellowfin tuna. It turned out to be a fantastic dish that I’ll definitely go back to, nice presentation for company as well.

Instead of just the standard peppercorn crust, I also added some Chinese Five Spice. I love this spice, it’s a mixture of peppercorns, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel; and covers five flavors – sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty. The flavors pair very well with tuna, and I also use it when making Tuna Tataki.

I served the beautiful cut of yellowfin tuna with garlic mash and French greens as sides.

3/4 lb fresh tuna, cut into 2 steaks about 1-inch thick
Salt
Fresh Coarsely Ground Peppercorns
Chinese Five Spice
Olive oil

1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, finely diced
1 cup red wine
1 cup vegetable broth

Season tuna steaks with salt. Sprinkle both sides with Chinese Five Spice and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and rub to coat evenly. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes; or refrigerate for up to 4 hours and bring to room temperature before cooking.

For the red wine sauce:
Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add vegetable broth and reduce until 1 cup sauce remains, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, set aside and keep warm.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, lay in steaks and sear for 2 minutes, until nicely browned. Flip and cook 1 minute more for rare, 2 minutes for medium rare. Serves 2.