Recipe: Tuna carpaccio, chilli, mint and pea shoots
Tuna carpaccio, chilli, mint and pea shoots
Serves: four
Ingredients
500g whole piece of tuna, preferably the tail end.
10g freshly picked thyme, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Handful of picked mint (about 20 leaves), finely chopped
1 small red chili, finely chopped
30g baby salted capers, rinsed
2 lemons, 1 halved, 1 quartered
1 handful of picked dill, roughly chopped
2 handfuls of pea shoots, watercress or rocket
Extra virgin olive oil
Method
Pre-heat a BBQ of grill plate.
While the BBQ or grill plate is heating scatter the thyme over the surface of a large plate, add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Rub the surface of the tuna with a teaspoon or two of extra virgin olive oil and then roll the tuna in the thyme using your hands to push the thyme into the sides of the fish.
In a small mixing bowl combine the chopped mint, chili and add just enough extra virgin olive oil to bring it together into a pesto like consistency (about a tablespoon).
Place the halved lemon flesh side down onto the grill plate and cook until quite dark in color. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes before squeezing the juice and any pulp that comes out into the mint and chili mixture, stir to combine.
Cook the tuna for 20-30 seconds each side and then remove and allow to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing it as thinly as you can. If you can’t slice it very thinly don’t worry, do it thin as you can and then lay out the slices in between two layers of cling film and ever so lightly flatten it with a mallet or rolling pin.
Arrange the tuna between four plates (or one large one). Drizzle the chili and lemon dressing over the tuna followed by the capers, a good pinch of salt and pepper, the dill and finally the pea shoots.
Finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve right away with the lemon quarters.