Tuna steak with mint pesto

• 15 minutes to prepare • 5 minutes to cook • Serves 4

10 MINUTES RECIPE

 

Mint pesto is a fast and fresh recipe idea, suitable for under-starvation-pressure cooking times. It' s simply perfect when you have no possibility to stay long at the stove but you want to make a great impression. I personally love it: it proves that mint has dignity as a kitchen ingredient...beyond mojito!

We employ mint pesto in today's recipe to accompany grilled fish. However, you can also serve it with fish carpaccio or grilled meat. You can use it in a first course as well, as dressing for your pasta (try to top it with some grated Pecorino cheese...it's marvellous!). Easy and quick to prepare, it can be a nice, still delicious, alternative to traditional pesto.

Here are ingredients for the 4-serving recipe:

 

600 g fresh tuna steak
20 g pine nuts 
1 tablespoon chives
20 mint leaves  
1/2 lemon juice 
EVO oil 
Salt and pepper

1. In a saucepan pour 6 tablespoons of EVO oil and add a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper, finely chopped chives and the lemon juice
2. Put the tuna steak to marinate in the mixture for about 15 minutes: turn the steak at least once and be careful not to overdo with the marinating time, otherwise lemon will ruin tuna flesh
3. Meanwhile, prepare the mint pesto: remove the mint leaves from their twigs, wash them under running water and let them drain in a strainer. Take the blender and place mint leaves, pine nuts, a pinch of salt and 5 tablespoons of EVO oil in it. Blend for a couple of minutes to shred the ingredients, then gradually add other 10 tablespoons of EVO oil until you obtain a creamy consistency
4. Heat well a non-stick grill pan while duly draining the tuna steak from the marinade
5. Cook tuna for about 3 minutes per side. You will achieve the optimal cooking when tuna flesh is still pink in the middle
6. Remove the tuna fillet from the pan and cut it into slices about 2-cm thick, trying to follow tuna flesh streaks. Arrange tuna slices on a serving dish and sprinkle it with mint pesto 

Nutrition Facts are listed for this recipe in the table below. Data is provided per serving.

It is the destiny of mint to be crushed.