Spice-crusted tuna with polyphenol-rich salad
Serves: 2
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Danielle Wood
Spice-crusted tuna with polyphenol-rich salad
Polyphenols – a “superfamily” of diverse nutrients found in plants – promote the growth of “friendly” gut bacteria, as well as warding off the baddies. They are found in colourful plant foods, such as fruit and veg, pulses, herbs and spices... so we recommend tucking into this tuna salad, full of mixed seeds, nuts, spices and chopped veg, topped with pretty jewel-like pomegranate seeds.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
683Kcal
Fat
47gr
Saturates
8gr
Carbs
19gr
Sugars
15gr
Fibre
9gr
Protein
41gr
Salt
0.3gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 3 tbsp seed mix
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 x 240g pack yellowfin tuna steaks
For the salad
- zest and juice of 1⁄2 lemon
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1⁄2 small red onion, finely sliced
- 125g red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 80g mixed leaf salad
- 30g pomegranate seeds
- 20g skin-on almonds, roughly chopped
- 1 medium avocado, halved and sliced
Step by step
- Start by toasting the cumin seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring until fragrant, then tip into a pestle and mortar and grind coarsely. Combine 1 teaspoon of the cumin with the nigella seeds and seed mix on a plate. Rub 1 teaspoon of oil over the tuna steaks, season and then press them in the spiced seed mix to coat. Set aside while you prep the salad.
- Add the lemon zest, juice, honey and olive oil to the cumin seeds that are left in the mortar. Whisk together and season to taste. Pour most of the dressing into a large bowl and add the red onion, cherry tomatoes, carrot and salad leaves, tossing to coat.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan; when it’s really hot, add the tuna steaks and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until crusted golden, but still slightly pink in the centre.
- Divide the salad between two bowls and scatter the pomegranate seeds and almonds on top. Add the sliced avocado and tuna to the plates and serve immediately.
