PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES (PLUS 5 HOURS MARINATING TIME)

COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES

SERVES: 4

SEARED TUNA AND CHICKPEA SALAD

I love preparing this salad for lunch after a big morning of yoga, surfing or at the gym. It’s a perfect dish to refuel and repair your body with plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals. If tuna loin is unavailable, use tuna steaks or any other firm-fleshed oily fish.

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) piece tuna loin, trimmed

150 g (5½ oz) baby green beans, trimmed

400 g (14 oz) tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

250 g (9 oz) baby roma (plum) or grape tomatoes, halved

40 g (1½ oz/²/₃ cup) alfalfa sprouts

3 French shallots (eschalots), thinly sliced

1 head of radicchio, outer leaves removed, trimmed and finely shredded

1 cup (loosely packed) mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 free-range eggs, soft boiled (see note)

MARINADE

80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) light soy sauce

55 g (2 oz/¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

2 teaspoons wasabi paste (or hot English mustard if you don’t like wasabi)

DRESSING

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons finely chopped chervil

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the marinade, whisk the soy sauce, sugar and wasabi in a bowl. Add the tuna and coat well. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 5 hours or overnight if time permits.

Remove the tuna from the marinade and stand for 20 minutes or until the tuna reaches room temperature.

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set aside.

Blanch the beans in a saucepan of well-salted boiling water for 40 seconds, then drain and refresh in iced water. Drain again and cut in half lengthways. Place in a large bowl with the chickpeas, tomatoes, alfalfa, shallots, radicchio and mint.

Heat the olive oil in a medium heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Season the tuna all over and cook on each side for 30 seconds — the tuna should be golden on the outside but rare and vibrant red in the centre. Rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then thinly slice with a very sharp knife.

Add just enough dressing to lightly coat the salad, then season to taste and divide among four serving plates. Top with the sliced tuna, then carefully break the eggs in half and place on top of each salad. Serve immediately.

NOTE

∎   To soft-boil an egg, cook whole eggs in a saucepan of boiling water for 6 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water for 10 minutes before peeling.