This easy to make dish hits all the right notes of delicious. Chimichurri is one of my all-time favourite sauces to make for a recipe because it’s firstly, it’s super easy and quick to make and it hits all the right notes of zing, spice and aroma. It also complements many different dishes. Traditionally used with grilled meats as the meatiness is balanced out by that sharp hit of freshness in the sauce, but it can also taste great in fish dishes. I love it with hake and tuna – these meatier kinds of fish work well as a substitute for the traditional grilled meat chimichurri is normally paired with.
*feel free to actually pair this meal with steak if seafood isn’t your thing.
The tuna is paired with crispy garlic roast potatoes and a courgette ribbon salad dressed with chimichurri. The balance of flavours work so well together – the meatiness of the tuna contrasts with the lightness of the courgette salad and then warmth and crunch of the salty, garlicky potatoes finish off the meal perfectly.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tuna steaks
- 2 Courgettes
- 5-6 potatoes
- Large handful of parsley
- Large handful of coriander
- 1 Red chilli
- ⅓ Cup Red wine vinegar
- 1 Shallot
- 5 Cloves Garlic
- Sea salt flakes
- Olive oil
*sidenote – we LOVE potatoes so always do extra because we will always want seconds of these. So when getting your ingredients list together go with however many potatoes would suit two people in your household.
Method:
Turn the oven on and heat it up to 220 degrees. Pour boiling water into a pan large enough to cook the potatoes and bring back to the boil. As the oven and the water heat, peel the potatoes and chop them into 1-2 inch cubes. Place in the water with a good shake of sea salt and boil for ten minutes. At the same time pour oil in an oven safe tray. I use olive oil but you can use vegetable oil if you prefer. Make sure the oil coats the base of the tray but isn’t too thick. Heat the oil in the oven for 10 minutes (or until piping hot but not smoking).
Whilst the potatoes are boiling and the oil is heating, it’s time to make the Chimichurri. Finely dice the coriander, parsley, red chilli, shallot and 1 clove of garlic. Place in a bowl and add all the red wine vinegar and a sprinkling of sea salt. The ingredients need to infuse with the vinegar for ten minutes before adding the oil so set aside and get ready to finish prepping the potatoes.
Roughly chop 4 cloves of garlic. Drain the potatoes and give them a good shake in the colander to fluff them up. Take the hot oil out the oven and shake the potatoes into the tray. Sprinkle with the chopped garlic and a good helping of sea salt flakes and shake about. Place back in the oven for 25 minutes.
Take a veg peeler and peel the two courgettes to make ribbon strands and place in a bowl. We eat the courgettes raw but if that’s not your thing then you can lightly sear them in a hot griddle pan for 1-2 minutes to take the crunch out of them.
Once ten minutes has passed add a really good glug of olive oil to the Chimichurri. Taste test it and if it’s still too tangy then add a bit more. Chimichurri is a sharp tasting sauce but if you make a face after sampling it then it’s definitely a sign to mellow it out with a bit more olive oil. Set aside ⅓ of the sauce which will be used as a drizzle when serving the meal. Take the remaining Chimchurri and mix it through the courgette ribbons and leave to sit until plating up.
A few minutes before the potatoes are due out the oven heat the griddle pan up ready to sear the tuna. I use a tiny splash of oil here and let it get really really hot. Then salt and pepper both sides of the tuna steaks and place in the pan. For medium rare tuna cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. For medium to well done do 3-4 minutes each side.
Take the potatoes out the oven and serve on plates. Tong out the courgettes and leave the excess liquid behind in the bowl and serve alongside the potatoes. Layer the tuna steak on top and drizzle with the remaining Chimichurri. Enjoy!
