Tuna with tomato and caper salsa and pesto beans

Ingredients

4 x 200g tuna steaks, about 3cm thick
Olive oil, for brushing

For the salsa

2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced into fine wedges
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Pinch of crushed dried chillies
1 tbsp small capers, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp each chopped fresh mint and flatleaf parsley

For the pesto green beans

40g fresh basil leaves
25g pine nuts
1 garlic clove, crushed
5 tbsp olive oil
25g finely grated Parmesan
500g fine green beans

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Method

Make the salsa. Mix the tomatoes, shallot, garlic, chillies, capers, lime and oil. Set aside.
Make the pesto beans. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, whizz the basil, nuts, garlic and oil to a paste in a mini food processor. Stir in the Parmesan. Cook the beans in the boiling water for 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to the pan with half the pesto and mix well.
Brush the tuna with oil, then season. Heat a cast-iron griddle over a high heat. Add the tuna, reduce the heat, and cook for 1½ minutes on each side, until nicely marked on the outside but still quite rare in the centre.

Transfer to plates. Add the mint, parsley and a little salt to the salsa. Serve with the tuna steaks and pesto green beans.

Recipe from February 2006 Issue

delicious. tips

Keep leftover pesto, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Vitamin B6 is one of the key ingredients for reducing the effects of PMS. It’s found in oily fish, poultry, nuts, wholegrain cereals, potatoes and bananas.

Buy ingredients online

Published: 31 Jan 06
Updated: 18 Mar 24

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