Make the most of fresh ingredients this summer with seared tuna steak

It’s a joy to make the most of seasonal fresh ingredients like heritage tomatoes, spring onions and salad leaves. All you need is a good dressing and some crusty bread, and you have a meal in minutes.

I still love my Sunday roast but, in the summer, I swap the vegetables for a Greek-style salad – lots of black olives, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, cooked new potatoes and beetroot with crumbled feta. It’s awesome served alongside a succulent roast chicken, washed down with a chilled glass of rosé.

We have put a couple of new salads onto our summer menu, including this warm one with tuna steaks cooked until still very pink in the middle. We serve it with a carrot puree and salsify cooked in red wine, but at home, keep it simple, with a green side salad.

But don’t forget the crusty bread and glass of wine!

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Seared Tuna Steak with Warm Wheatberry and Beetroot Salad

Serves 4

4 tuna steaks

Rapeseed oil for brushing over the steaks

80g wheatberry (or pearl barley or large cous cous)

1 tab of table salt

1 large cooked beetroot, diced

1 tablespoon each of tarragon, parsley and chives

Balsamic dressing:

4 tabs extra virgin olive oil

1 tab balsamic vinegar

Salt & cracked black pepper

Pinch of caster sugar

Method

Soak the wheatberry overnight in cold water.

Put it in a large saucepan with a tablespoon of salt and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes. If you haven’t had time to soak it, then boil for an hour and a half. Drain and leave to cool.

Toss in the herbs and diced beetroot. Stir in the dressing.

When you are ready to serve, heat a frying pan without oil until it is smoking hot. Brush the tuna steaks with the rapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the pan.

Cook for about one and a half minutes then flip over and cook for a further minute to a minute-and-a-half until the tuna steak is still pink in the centre. Leave to rest.

Meanwhile heat another frying pan and warm the wheatberry salad. Spoon the warm salad onto four plates and top with the tuna. Serve with a green salad.

Chef’s tip

This salad is delicious eaten cold or topped with grilled halloumi or goat’s cheese. Add chopped mint to ring the changes and a handful of large cooked cous cous to give a different texture.

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