Grilled Tuna with Basil-Walnut Sauce

Today was one of those lazy Saturday's. I managed to do nothing but go to the grocery store for some food for next week, and that's about it. It was awesome. :) And since the lazy kick is still in place, I found a very simple, but very healthy recipe for dinner tonight (lucky me!). The basil sauce turned out to be much more flavorful than I had anticipated, and pairs well with the lemon zest on the fish.

Recipe is from Williams Sonoma Weeknight Fresh & Fast Cookbook 

**Note the alterations I made in the recipe below**

Recipe (makes 2 servings):
2 Albacore Tuna Steaks
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus more as needed)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tablespoon walnut pieces
grated zest of 1 lemon
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. Place tuna on a plate. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and the lemon zest. Brush with olive oil on both sides. Let marinate while preparing the sauce.

2. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, walnuts, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and a generous amount of pepper. Process until finely ground. With the machine running, gradually add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If the sauce seems to thick, you can add more olive oil to thin it out. 

Alteration #1: I used raw slivered almonds instead of walnuts because I didn't want to buy a new bag of walnuts just to use 1 tablespoon of it. The sauce still turned out delicious!

3. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct-heat grilling over high heat. Add the tuna, cover the grill, and cook as desired, about 3 minutes per side for rare. Transfer the tuna to 2 warmed individual plates. Top each with the basil sauce and serve right away.

Alteration #2: I live in an apartment with no access to a grill. I used the "Broil" option on my oven set on "High" or at 400 degrees, and cooked each side for 3-4 minutes (the thought of getting salmonella really scares me, so I added an extra minute to the recipe's 2-3 minutes)