Grilled fillet of yellow fin tuna with green beans, preserved lemon and kalamata olives

Serve this as a stand-alone dish, or as part of a three course banquet, as put together by top chef from Nick's Bar and Grill restaurtant, Sydney.

Recipe Finder

• serves

  1

• cook

  30 minutes

Ingredients

220 grams fillet of yellow fin tuna (approximately 3/4 cm thick)

50 grams baby green beans

50 grams baby butter beans

1 teaspoon preserved lemon

2 teaspoon kalamata olives (pitted and sliced lengthways)

half red capsicum (roasted, skinned, cut into strips)

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

20 grams baby spinach

2 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoon flat parsley chopped

sea salt

freshly cracked white pepper

apple balsamic vinegar

lemon infused extra olive oil

Instructions

Blanch the beans in boiling salted water, refresh and cut in half. Keep aside. (To cook the tuna preferably use a cast iron chargrill pan).

Lightly coat the tuna in oil, season with sea salt. Heat the pan until quite hot, add the tuna and seal in a criss-cross formation.

When both sides are done the Tuna should be medium rare. If the tuna is thick you may have to place in the oven for a couple of minutes to finish cooking.

In a hot pan quickly sautée the beans, add the capsicum, crushed garlic, preserved lemons, slices olives and baby spinach. Finish with flat parsley.

Place in a serving bowl and lightly sprinkle with some apple balsamic vinegar. Place the tuna on top and generously drizzle with lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil.

Serve immediately.

Chef's Tips:

Choosing tuna: select sashimi grade tuna from your fishmonger.or at the markets. It should have firm textured flesh with no veins, skin or blood, flesh should be a good rich, dark red colour. Always buy on day of serving and keep refrigerated.

The art of cooking seafood is not difficult, it just takes fresh ingredients and in most cases a hot pan or grill plus a little olive oil and lemon to finish.

The delicate flavours of the fresh fish should not be disguised with strong accompaniments. Cooking should be quick and the presentation simple.


This dish is part of a three course seafood meal for six.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.