Tuna Steaks with Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a lovely fresh fish dish for the warmer weather; and what's more it's super easy too. 

I've used my Walnut & Basil Pesto which I tend to always have on standby in my fridge, but jarred pesto would be absolutely fine too. 

I also cook the tuna so it's seared on both sides, and then rare and blushing pink throughout the middle as that's how we prefer it; but cook for a little longer if you'd prefer to cook it all the way through (I find this can dry it out a little though).

The below serves 4-5 people. 

Tuna Steaks with Pesto Pasta Salad

Here's how:

• x4 tuna steaks
• 250g pasta shapes (I used conchiglie)
• 2 tbsp Walnut & Basil Pesto or any pesto you have to hand
• 200g cherry tomatoes
• 1 large, or 2 smaller courgettes
• 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Fry Light Olive Oil (or a generous drizzle of olive oil if you're not cutting calories)

Firstly cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, as a rule of thumb, for most dried pasta, it is 9-10 minutes in just boiled, salted water for al dente, firm-to-the-bite pasta. 

In the meantime, add a few sprays of the Fry Light to a griddle pan and place on a medium heat.

Season the tuna steaks on both sides with a pinch of black pepper and sea salt and then add to the pan once hot. Cook each tuna steak for 1.5 minutes, and then turn over and cook for a further 1.5 minutes, then remove from the pan and place onto a plate or a board to rest. 

In the meantime, get the 'salad' ingredients ready, by simply halving the cherry tomatoes, and using a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of the courgette. Also cut the lemon into wedges and set aside for the moment.

Once the pasta is cooked, use a ladle or a small cup to take out a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water and then drain and give a good shake. Return to the pan, away from the heat, and add the Walnut & Basil Pesto or the other pesto you may be using, and give a good stir. Add one tablespoon of the pasta water and stir to loosen the sauce a little, add more if it still seems a little claggy. 

Now add the cherry tomatoes and the courgette ribbons to the pan and stir through and then simply pour or spoon into a serving dish.

Now take the tuna steaks, and use a sharp knife to carve into thick chunks of a couple of the tuna steaks and scatter all over the top of the dish, leaving a couple of whole tuna steaks, then take one wedge of the lemon and squeeze all over the tuna, and then give one final seasoning of sea salt and black pepper all over the dish.

Drizzle over a few drops more of the pesto directly onto the tuna steaks.

Add the lemon wedges and serve. Enjoy! 

If you love fish like us, here are a few other dishes you may love:

• Sticky Asian Salmon
• Morrocan Fish Stew
• Plaice with Roasted Vegetables and Lemon Parsley Butter
• Haddock Fish Cakes
• Family Fish Pie
• Smoked Salmon Carbonara
• One Pot Fish Curry
• Chilli Crab Noodles
• Gourmet Seafood Burger
• Pesto Topped Haddock with Herby Couscous