That title contains two of my favourite words. Steak and tuna. As we are now well into June and the weather is (sort of) getting warmer, I thought I would roll out one of my favourite recipes for warmer weather, a seared tuna steak with basil and coriander. It’s fast, delicious and delivers on flavour every time.
When selecting a tuna steak, look for as rich red colour that is even across its surface. If you can, go to a fishmonger and look for a nice firm meat texture with no sinew and tight grain. They should be from sustainable sources of course.
This will serve four people.
Ingredients
- 1 small dried red chilli
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ a clove of garlic
- Fresh basil
- Fresh coriander
- Olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 4 x 225g tuna steaks around 2cm thick
Method
- Add the chilli and coriander seeds into a pestle and mortar and crush. Add the peeled garlic, finely chop a good handful of basil and coriander and add to the mortar. Add some oil and the juice from the lemon. Mix and season with salt and pepper.
- Season the tuna steak with the mix and allow to soak in for a couple of minutes.
- Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and add the tuna. Sear for 60 seconds on each side.
- Serve with a side salad and a wedge of fresh lemon.
Tune should be served pink in the middle and alongside a fresh salad, salsa or something else. Tuna steak will stand on its own merit but having an accompaniment just adds to the experience.
If I’m in an Italian mood, I would put together a simple Italian dressing using sun dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, olives and olive oil. If I’m in an Asian mood, a simple oil, garlic, chilli, ginger and soy sauce marinade really delivers too.
It’s one of the reasons I like tuna steak, because it is so flexible. As long as you temper the accompaniment so it doesn’t overpower the fish, you can do whatever you like!