For various reasons my household is consuming much less meat these days but meaty fish, like tuna or swordfish, is a welcome ingredient when any committed vegetarians are absent.

Griddled Tuna Steaks with Mexican Rice and Tomato Salsa
[Serves 3-4 adults].

Mexican Rice:
Olive oil
Spanish onion x 1
Garlic cloves x 2
Long grain rice x 200g
Vegetable stock (hot) x 400ml
1 tablespoon x chipotle paste or 1 teaspoon x chipotle powder
Passata x 200ml
Sweetcorn x 1 ear (steamed for 10 minutes)
Chopped coriander

Tomato Salsa:
Diced red and yellow heritage tomatoes x 250g
Finely chopped red onion x 1 (small or half)
Diced green chillies x 1-2
Juice of 1 lime

Tuna steaks (line caught and circa 3 cms thick) x 1 per person

 

 

To make the rice dish soften the chopped onion and garlic in a thick-bottomed pan, in a tablespoonful of olive oil, on a low heat for 7 minutes then add the rice and stir until it is coated, then add the chipotle paste and passata and stir thoroughly. Then add the hot stock and put a lid on the pan. Let the mixture simmer and stir intermittently for about 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is cooked through. Cut the sweetcorn from its husk and stir that in with the rest of the ingredients.

While the rice and corn are cooking dice all the ingredients for the salsa and mix them together then add the lime juice.

You then brush the tuna steaks with olive oil and cook them for 2-3 minutes each side in a hot griddle pan before leaving them to rest for a further 3-5 minutes. Ideally they should be mi-cuit – seared on the outside but slightly pink in the centre.

You then serve the steaks on top of the rice mixture with the salsa on the side and garnish everything with the corainder. Serve with lime wedges and chilli oil.

 

 

In high summer I would serve that with a flavoursome rosé. This month’s scrub-scented, coral pink Coteaux du Cap Corse from Domaine Pieretti would be perfect.

July Wines of the Month: £89.00 per case (of six bottles) delivered, saving £20.30 on list prices.