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Recipe Detail Page
Seared Tuna with Celery-Leaf Pesto
Spring 2017
If you have any leftover pesto, mix with chopped egg or tuna. It also adds some pizazz to pasta. Because tuna is thick, it has 4 sides for searing, not two.
Serves 4
TUNA
4 pieces tuna, each 6 oz (175 g), at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick
Salt
2 tsp (10 mL) finely ground black pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
SALAD
½ cup (125 mL) julienned daikon radish
½ cup (125 mL) julienned celery root
½ cup (125 mL) julienned red onion
1 cup (250 mL) radish shoots
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
½ tsp (2 mL) lime juice
CELERY LEAF PESTO
1 cup (250 mL) celery leaves
2 cups (500 mL) baby spinach
¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil
1 tsp (5 mL) seasoned rice wine vinegar
¼ tsp (1 mL) chopped garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Season tuna with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle pepper evenly over each portion.
2. To begin preparing salad, combine daikon, celery root and red onion in a bowl of cold water. This keeps it crisp. Reserve.
3. To make pesto, purée celery leaves, spinach, olive oil, rice wine vinegar and garlic with a hand blender or in a regular blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
4. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add tuna and cook each piece 1 minute per side on 4 sides, about 4 minutes altogether. Remove from pan and slice tuna into ½-inch (1-cm) slices.
5. To continue salad, drain vegetables and toss with radish shoots, olive oil and lime juice.
6. Spoon 1 tbsp (15 mL) pesto onto each serving plate. Lay tuna slices over pesto and top with salad.
Serves 4
