Italian-Style Tuna Confit

EASIER

GLUTEN-FREE

Makes 6 servings

If you love Italian tuna preserved in olive oil but are sick of paying up to 20 bucks for a tiny portion, here’s good news: You can make this luxurious treat yourself in a slow cooker with almost no work. Tuna confit will make the best tuna salad you’ve ever had. It’s also great seared and served on buns with coleslaw—a tuna burger for the ages. For more ideas, see the More! section below.

Six 4-ounce tuna fillet steaks

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Two 4-inch fresh rosemary sprigs

2 garlic cloves, peeled

Two 2 x ½-inch strips orange zest

Enough olive oil to cover the tuna (at least 1 quart, maybe more)

1. Season the tuna steaks on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place them in one layer in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Tuck the rosemary, garlic, and orange zest among the fillets.

2. Pour in enough oil to cover the tuna by ½ inch. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. The tuna can stay on the keep-warm setting for up to an additional 4 hours.

3. Either set the covered bowl of the slow cooker on a kitchen towel directly in the refrigerator; or transfer the tuna steaks, aromatics, and almost all the oil to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, then cover and refrigerate. Either way, the confit will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Test Kitchen Notes

• The olive oil will not be good for much else after this. Don’t buy the expensive stuff, just a solid store brand.

• In like manner, there’s no need for sushi-grade tuna here. Buy frozen tuna fillets and thaw them in the fridge.

To serve, remove as many fillets as you’d like from the oil. It will have solidified so scrape off as much oil as possible without uncovering any of the other fillets. Set the chosen fillet(s) aside at room temperature on a large plate until the oil melts away. Break apart the tuna meat and serve over salad greens tossed with a creamy dressing, or make tuna salad by mixing the chopped tuna confit with some chopped celery, chopped red onion, some drained and rinsed canned white beans, and lemon juice to taste. You won’t need mayonnaise because the tuna is so rich. Or sear the tuna steaks in a smoking cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat or on a grill grate directly over a high-heat source, turning once, just until there are several char marks on each side. Serve with a dollop of olive tapenade on each fillet.

Voilà! Even if they’re not turned into tuna confit, three-ounce frozen tuna steaks, thawed, are the perfect size for tuna burgers on hamburger buns.