Tuna Montadito

Ingredients

Makes 4-6 sandwiches

1 French baguette

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 bulb fennel, tops removed and reserved, cored, cut into small wedges

1 tablespoon butter

8 ounces best quality tuna available, cut into 2-3 ounce pieces

1 pinch smoked paprika

3-4 piquillo peppers, cut into small pieces

Reserved fennel tops

Really good quality olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice your baguette into ¾ - 1-inch-thick slices. Transfer to the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.

Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the fennel and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook the fennel until golden brown and caramelized on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Once the fennel is golden brown, remove it from the pan and set aside. Remove all but ½ teaspoon of the butter/oil from the pan. If your pan is dry, you can add a drizzle of olive oil.

Season the tuna with a pinch of smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Sear on all sides until golden brown and remove from the pan, the center of the tuna should still be rare. Slice the tuna into ¼ inch thick slices.

To plate, place your bread down on the plate. Top with a few slices of seared tuna, piquillo peppers, a little caramelized fennel, a few fennel tops and finally, a drizzle of olive oil.