Quick and easy seared tuna steak recipe

This fresh and healthy seared tuna minute steak recipe from chef Tom Walton’s book More Fish, More Veg is perfect for springtime eating.

This seared tuna steak recipe is packed with healthy Mediterranean diet ingredients and is simplicity at its best, taking no longer than 10 minutes from start to finish. It makes the perfect light meal in the warmer months. For a more substantial bowl, toss the seared tuna through some cooked pasta – more on that below.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 x 150–160g tuna steaks
• Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 250g red grape tomatoes
• 250g yellow grape tomatoes
• 1/3 cup (55g) pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup (45g) capers, rinsed and drained
• Handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Handful dill sprigs, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
• Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Optional

• 400g cooked spaghetti, reserving ½ cup (125ml) starchy pasta cooking water
• Dried chilli flakes
  

Method

1. Preheat a large non-stick frypan, char-grill pan or barbecue over high heat.

2. Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Cook in batches for 30 seconds on one side and remove from the pan without flipping. If you prefer your tuna well done, cook for 30 seconds each side and then transfer to a plate to rest for 1–2 minutes.

3. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan with the garlic, tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, then add the olives, capers and a crack of pepper. Add the herbs and stir through. To serve the tuna as it is (pictured), spoon the tomatoes over it. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

4. To serve the tuna with pasta, slice it into thin strips and combine with the cooked spaghetti, tomato and herb sauce, reserved starchy pasta cooking water and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and dried chilli flakes, if you like.

This is an edited extract from More Fish, More Veg by Tom Walton, published by Murdoch Books, photography by Rob Palmer.

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Words by Tom Walton
Published November 2022