Searing tuna steaks gives them a fantastic flavour and adding tamarind makes it extra special. Serve with a melon salad and zingy dressing for a wonderfully vibrant meal.
Ingredients
- For the salad, buy organic where possible
-
- ¼ watermelon, peeled and sliced
- ½ cantaloupe melon, peeled and sliced
- 150g/5½oz edamame beans, podded
- 75g/2½oz sugar-snap peas, thinly sliced
- 75g/2½oz mangetout, thinly sliced
- For the tuna steak
-
- tuna steak (weighing approximately 500g/1lb 2oz), cut into 4 pieces
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- For the dressing
-
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2cm/¾in piece root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp honey
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
- 2 limes, juice only
- To garnish
-
- ½ pomegranate, seeds removed
Preparation method
- For the salad, make sure your melon has been chilled overnight and slice. Put in the freezer for an hour.
- For the tuna steak, brush the tuna with tamarind paste and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, for the salad, heat a large frying pan and add the chilled melon, cook on each side for 1-2 minutes. Cut into 2-3cm/¾-1¼in pieces and place in a large bowl with the beans, sugar-snap peas, and mangetout. Set aside.
- Heat a large griddle pan and lightly brush the tuna with the oil. Cook on the griddle for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of the steaks and how you like your tuna cooked. Leave to rest, then thinly slice.
- For the dressing, put all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar and mix until smooth.
- To serve, toss the salad in the dressing. Put the salad on serving plates with the tuna alongside. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.