Seared Tuna with Napa Cabbage and Radish Salad

A few weeks ago I discovered the fabulous Love Radish website, which is full of interesting recipes, including the wonderful, colourful radish and avocado appetizer that I made for friends. I’ve yet to try cooking with them (roasted radishes with rosemary and garlic sound divine), and I still haven’t made the intriguing radish Bloody Mary – both of which I fully intend to do. And there are many other inspiring recipes there too, almost all of which focus on the brightly coloured, small, globe varieties – not particularly surprising given that this is a British website and those are the ones that are most commonly grown in the UK by commercial farmers.

Daikon – also known as mooli and white radish – is a much larger, longer radish with a firm texture and mild flavour, that was originally cultivated in Asia. It has many culinary uses, and like other varieties can be eaten either raw or cooked. In some cultures it is traditionally pickled or dried, and the leaves of the plant are also used in multiple ways.

This recipe uses a mixture of daikon and globe radishes (which add a splash of colour to the dish), as well as a few other relatively simple ingredients, to produce a wonderful salad. The fresh tuna is more decadent, but does go fantastically well with the combined flavours of the salad and dressing. I think that it’s important to just lightly sear the tuna, and vital not to cook it all the way through. If you do like your tuna fully cooked then consider using a can of it instead – it’ll certainly be much more cost effective.

Smaller portions would be perfect for an appetizer, but this is a fairly substantial salad that can definitely be served as a main course. It’s also delicious and just deserves to take centre stage at any meal. Enjoy!

(And unlike me, don’t forget to sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over the finished salad…)

Recipe: Seared Tuna with Napa Cabbage and Radish Salad

Ingredients

2 x 150g / 5oz fresh tuna steaks

For information on sustainable fishing follow the links from my post here

For the marinade / dressing:

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp olive oil

For the salad:

8 napa cabbage leaves, finely sliced

8 radishes, very finely sliced

¼ daikon, very finely sliced with a vegetable peeler

½ cucumber, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, roughly torn

2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly torn

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Serves 2

Method

For the salad, mix the napa cabbage, radishes, daikon, cucumber, mint and coriander together in a bowl (retaining some of the herbs to use as a garnish).

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade / dressing then drizzle half of it over the salad, mixing well to combine.

To cook the tuna, heat a griddle until very hot.

Sear the tuna for about 45 seconds on each side, then remove from the pan.

Cut the tuna into 5mm / ¼ inch thick slices. Stir the remaining dressing and pour it over the tuna. Set aside for a few minutes to marinate.

To serve, divide the salad between two bowls and place slices of the tuna on top. Sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds. Garnish with some mint and coriander leaves.

 Recipe adapted from: James Martin, Saturday Kitchen Best Bites