大象传媒

This came about accidentally. I’d made the relish – without the avocado or the lemon – to go with lamb, then used the leftovers with a halved avocado that was lurking in the fridge. Once I’d added slivers of preserved lemon, the combination was perfect. You can use coriander or mint instead of parsley, if you prefer.

Serves 2
For the fish
2 tuna loin steaks
a little olive oil
lemon wedges, to serve
For the relish
115g (4oz) pitted black olives, roughly chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded and very finely sliced
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
4½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
1 small garlic clove, grated
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
1 preserved lemon, fleshy bits removed and
discarded, rind cut into shreds
salt and pepper

Bring the fish to room temperature.

To make the relish, gently mix everything together. You shouldn’t do this too far in advance or it loses its freshness and gets ‘tired’ and a bit soft, but let it sit for 15 minutes or so before serving so that the flavours can meld.

Use a cast-iron griddle to cook the fish if you have one, otherwise a good frying pan. Brush each piece of tuna with the regular olive oil and season. Heat the pan until really hot, then cook the tuna for about 1½ minutes each side so that it’s still slightly raw in the middle, like a rare steak.

Serve the tuna with generous spoonfuls of the relish alongside and lemon wedges.