Healthy recipe by gastroenterology dietitian Veronica Mitchell:
What I love about spring and summer is the variety of seasonal vegetables you can put in salads. You could stick closely with the original recipes and use gem lettuce - or use your imagination and add as many varieties of salad leaves as you want. I sometimes even throw in chunks of avocados!
This recipe is high in protein, low in carbs and high in good fats – whilst fresh tuna is also a valuable source of omega 3. However, only fresh tuna counts as an oily fish source and not the canned variety.
Ingredients
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4 x 125g fresh tuna steaks or 2 x 200g tins of tuna chunks in brine
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8 – 12 baby potatoes cooked and quartered lengthways
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16 – 20 baby plumtomatoes, halved
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115g extra fine French Beans topped, cooked and drained
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4 gem lettuce hearts, quartered lengthways or a large bag of mixed salad leaves
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1 red onion, finely sliced
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4 eggs, cooked for 6 minutes in boiling water from room temperature, quartered
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6 anchovy fillets cut lengthways into thin strips (optional)
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16 pitted black and green olives in brine
For the dressing or marinade
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7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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3 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar
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3 tbsp lemon juice
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1 tsp grainy mustard
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2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
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1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
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Salt & pepper to taste
Method
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To make the dressing or marinade, whisk together the red wine or balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, grainy mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.
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Place the tuna in a shallow dish and pour over half of the dressing. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours to allow the fish to marinate. Toss in the marinade from time to time.
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Heat a ridged griddle pan on the hob or a hot barbecue for 5 minutes. Remove the tuna from the marinade. Cook the tuna steaks for 2-3 minutes on each side, depending on how rare you like your fish.
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Lay the lettuce leaves onto a large bowl or plate and add the lettuce or salad greens, onion, tomatoes, potato, tuna, beans, and anchovies. Drizzle over the remaining dressing then finish by adding the eggs, and olives.
Nutritional value:
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Calories – 572
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Carbs – 25g
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Fats – 35g from monounsaturated and omega 3
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Protein – 40g