Steak de thon grillé au poivre avec pesto de persil et citron – mélange de légumes et pois chiches

albacorelegumes5web

I don’t know about you, but I cannot get tired of eating fish and seafood. Ideally, I would like to become a complete vegetarian and stop contributing to the pollution of our planet by consuming animal based food, but I think I have not quite reached that level of dedication, maybe one day, hopefully soon. In the meantime, I will keep playing with fish and seafood and try to come up with wonderful ways to cook it.

Even if Ahi tuna tends to be more popular in restaurants, sometimes, I like the white flesh and lighter flavor of the albacore tuna. Ahi is fattier than albacore and is mainly used for sushis.

As you know, pesto can be made with all kinds of ingredients, this particular kind is parsley-lemon based, the lemon zest flavors the mixture wonderfully and you get this zesty-citrusy taste that goes perfectly well with the fish. You can use leftover pesto to serve with grilled chicken as well, or any white meat such as pork.

Ingredients for 2

For the tuna 

  • 2 albacore tuna steaks
  • 1 tbs coarse black pepper, grinded
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper

For the parsley-lemon pesto

  • 1 bunch flat parsley
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • zest of one lemon
  • 3 tbs pine nuts
  • olive oil 
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt and pepper

For the vegetable medley

  • 1 fennel head, finely sliced
  • 2 zucchini, sliced
  • 1/2 can chick peas or 4 tbs of overnight soaked chick peas
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 red onion, finely sliced
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • garlic powder
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

For the pesto, mix all ingredients together in a mixer, and add enough oil to get a smooth consistency. You can keep it in a air-tight container for a couple of days.

Char broiled the red bell pepper in the oven, close to the broiler, and when the skin is dark and grilled, remove from the oven and let cool. Remove peel, and seeds, then cut in strips.

In a grill pan, grill all other vegetables, and place in a container, add chick peas, and red pepper strips. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grind black pepper and coat the tuna steaks in it. Add salt and balsamic vinegar, then broil under broiler for a few minutes until the tuna is cooked but do not overcook or it will get dry.

Serve with a tbs of pesto on top of tuna and vegetables on the side.