This is an ideal late summer recipe for when you are short of time as it can be put together very quickly (especially if you have some cooked new potatoes already in your fridge).

It is a healthy dish (apart from the very small amount of mayonnaise, but you could use a low-fat one). We are recommended to have two servings of oily fish per week and tuna is a great source of essential fatty acids which the body needs to function properly.

At university I actually read zoology and I am therefore interested in the anatomy of fish! Tuna are warm-blooded fish which require a constant supply of oxygen.

They obtain this by swimming continuously at a reasonable pace and for this they need powerful muscles. Therefore the meat is dark and so different from the white flesh of most fish.

Tuna is available all year and is usually sold in steaks. Look for an even, deep red colour: pale flesh is not fresh. It needs plenty of oil and seasoning. Take care not to overcook it or it will become dry.

Peppered tuna steak with potato and orange salad

Ingredients (serves 4)

800g new potatoes, boiled until tender

1 orange

1 red onion

2 tbsp fresh soft herbs (coriander, parsley, etc.)

Salt

2-3 tbsp mayonnaise

4 x 150g tuna steaks

Olive oil

2-3 tbsp black peppercorns, roughly crushed

Method

1 Cut the potatoes into small pieces. Cut the orange into eighths, remove any pips and then finely slice with the skin on. Peel and finely dice the red onion. Finely chop the herbs.

2 Combine together the prepared potatoes, orange, red onion with the herbs and mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt (pepper will be going on the tuna). Cover and chill until required.

3 Place a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Drizzle olive oil over the tuna and press the crushed peppercorns onto each side. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the tuna), or until just cooked through.

To serve Place a mound of potato and orange salad in the centre of each plate. Sit a tuna steak on top. For a garnish I made courgette spaghetti - see recipe below.

Notes

  • The potato salad can be prepared up to 12 hours in advance. This allows to flavours to mingle with one another.
  • Courgette spaghetti: 2 courgettes julienned lengthways into very thin strips (or coarsely grated). Place into a bowl with juice of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of caster sugar. Leave to soften for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the marinade and pile a large handful on top of the tuna.
  • The peppercorns can be a little hot, adjust the amount to suite your taste. You could try using white peppercorns for a milder version, or simply leave them out if you prefer.
  • Make sure that your kitchen is well ventilated as the burning peppercorns can cause you to cough.