Za'Atar-Crusted Tuna With Cured Tomatoes And Merguez Vinaigrette - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For Tomatoes
12 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/4 cup chopped basil
For Vinaigrette
1/2 lb merguez sausage, casing removed
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped chives
For Fish
3 tablespoons canola oil
4 (6 ounce) portions tuna
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 cup za'atar spice mix

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, toss the whole tomatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil, paprika, salt, garlic, 2 Tb shallots, thyme and basil. Spread on a sheet pan and place in oven for 4 hours.
When tomatoes are close to being ready, in a saute pan over medium-high heat, saute sausage until nicely browned (it will crumble as you cook), about 10 minutes.
Remove sausage and set aside.
Drain all but 2 Tb of fat from pan, return pan to medium heat, and add sherry vinegar to deglaze, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute.
Add 1 Tb olive oil, 1 Tb shallots, capers, and tomato sauce; mix to incorporate, then remove from heat.
Season with salt, pepper, and chives, and return sausage to pan.
Meanwhile, heat a cast iron pan over high heat with canola oil until smoking.
Season tuna with salt and pepper, then roll in za'atar on all sides, until well covered.
Sear tuna, 1 minute on each side, for rare.
Evenly divide tomatoes and tuna among plates and cover with sauce; serve immediately.