Tuna for Two

Dinner on a budget is a challenge. When it's Friday evening during Lent and you aren't eating meat, it can be "dinner impossible". Then try to create a romantic and relaxing atmosphere at home after an exhausting week...well it can be a reality. I'm not crazy.

After a long day that started very early and a particularly lengthy trip to Stop & Shop, I arrived home just before 7:00 p.m. Much to my surprise, my husband had made a quick stop at the local fish market. He picked up a beautiful, one pound piece of tuna steak along with a half dozen prepared baked clams. This was the perfect change from the last few Fridays of pasta, pizza and trying to come up with something else to do with the shrimp in the freezer.

My husband fired up the barbecue while I seasoned the tuna steak with soy sauce, ginger and sea salt then covered it with sesame seeds. We threw a bunch of asparagus into a Pyrex dish, doused them with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Both the vegetables and the tuna were going on the grill. The baked clams sizzled in the convection toaster oven.

Approximately ten minutes later we had a gorgeous grilled tuna steak served rare, crispy asparagus stalks and very flavorful baked clams topped with melted cheese on our plates. We paired a crisp chardonnay with this dish to complement the flavors of ginger and soy. Finishing with a Walt Disney movie in our dimly lit living room/theatre, it turned out to be the perfect Friday night in.

For those of you trying to pull it all together - the nice meals, work, chores, cozy couples' night - it is possible...and for under twenty bucks!