A derivative of one of the World’s great salads, Salade Niçoise, which is often augmented by tuna to make a more substantial meal. I had some good tuna steaks but it wasn’t really the weather for a salad. So, I used the ingredients of a Salade Niçoise minus the salad leaves and served it warm with the salad dressing, topped with the grilled tuna steaks and hard-boiled egg. Very successful!
Planning
| serves: | 4 |
| preparation time: | 20 mins |
| cooking time: | 20 mins |
Ingredients
- 250g fine/French beans
- 250g salad potatoes
- 6 plum tomatoes
- 1 tin anchovy fillets, drained
- 24 black olives
- 2 tbs. capers, drained
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard
- white wine vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tuna steaks
- 2 large eggs, hard-boiled and shelled
- salt & pepper
Method
Skin and de-seed the tomatoes then slice them lengthwise into strips about 1 cm wide. Wash and trim the beans and halve them. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Simmer the potatoes until tender (about 7 minutes), steaming steam the green beans above them. Drain the potatoes and keep them and the beans warm.
Pit the black olives and quarter then lengthwise. Split four anchovy fillets in half lengthwise. Halve the hard-boiled eggs and top each half with two crossed anchovy strips. Chop the remaining anchovy fillets coarsely.
Warm the olive oil in a wide sauté pan (be careful not to heat it too much; don?t fry things). Add the cooked vegetables and mix in the tomato segments trying not to break them up. Add the chopped anchovies, capers and black olives. Slacken the mustard with a splash of white wine vinegar and stir this into the vegetable mixture. Warm through very gently ? try to keep the tomatoes intact. Season to taste with some salt and pepper.
Sear the tuna steaks on a very hot ridged griddle pan being sure to keep them pink in the centre. Pile the vegetable mixture into the centre of each of four plates and top each with a tuna steak. Top each tuna steak with one of the egg halves topped with anchovy strips.
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