His Eats vBy Randy Dockendorf For Steve Huff, much was at “steak” with our latest meal — so he came up with something downright fishy. The Yankton man planned a grilling session, but our evening meal didn’t contain the typical sizzling red meat. Instead, the menu featured slabs of thick, juicy tuna. “This is wild caught Philippine albacore tuna,” he said. “You want to buy the large chunks, not the sub parts.” This wasn’t the stuff found in your tuna salad sandwich. It wasn’t even the same as Steve’s tuna spread previously made for Super Bowl snacks. Instead, Steve and his wife, Tracy, chose a prize from the waters. “In many ways, I’m going for the salmon retrofit,” Steve said, referring to another one of his favorite seafood. 8vHISVOICEvJULY/AUGUST 2018 As an attorney, Steve uses his words with care. As such, he doesn’t use the blanket term “steak” for all seafood, even when it’s common usage. “When I hear the word, I think of swordfish steak and tuna steak,” he said. “You hear the terms cod and halibut steak, but they aren’t steak in the same sense of the word as swordfish and tuna. Steak is generally regarded as over one inch thick and 8 ounces.” And seafood definitely doesn’t need to taste bland or, well, fishy. Steve likes to spice things up. He combines a cup of Johnnie Walker black, toasted sesame oil, black pepper, soy sauce, greens, oregano, dill and herbes de Provence. But when it comes to taste, some habits die hard for many people. Midwesterners may prefer steak over seafood many times. The reasons can include disliking the taste or uncertainty in preparing it. Many people associate seafood with only certain times of the year or having had bad experiences with it. Many people associate fish with high prices or as a luxury item. In addition, many people don’t have access to fresh fish on a regular basis, unless it’s something caught in the local lake or river. Steve seeks to knock down all those fears. Fish can be purchased at reasonable prices and offer a culinary change of pace. Also, seafood is good in the freezer for about six months, he said. In addition, fish — particularly salmon and tuna — offer tremendous nutritional benefits, Steve said. Even in the Midwest, good seafood can be found at the supermarket. Frozen fish can offer as good a taste as the fresh variety, he said. That said, Steve acknowledges a major concern with seafood — a fear of food poisoning from that may arise from poor handling or preparation. “Tuna is very nutritious and tastes great, but you need to beware of the mercury angle,” he said. “You can’t see mercury. It’s like lead, in that you don’t know it’s there. Pregnant women are advised to watch out for mercury in fish. But you’ll be fine if you follow (U.S. Department of Agriculture) guidelines.” Steve pointed out red flags when it comes to tuna. “It should be fresh and pink. You don’t want to see discolored tuna, such as chocolate or purple,” he said. “And normally, steak (red meat) is good if it’s marbled. But if tuna is marbled — run, don’t walk, away from it immediately!” For this meal, Steve encountered some problems with his grill. He switched over to a second grill for the tuna, with another compartment used for scalloped crab meat. Steve seared his tuna, going for the medium rare. That may not sound appealing for those who like their meat and seafood well done. However, the tuna came out moist and tender, not dry and overcooked. “You should grill the tuna at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes a side,” he said. “It should be bubbly at the edges, and then you can flip it over.” The tuna fell apart with a fork and easily melted in your mouth. And