Grilled Tuna & Tartare Sandwich
Surely the most classic sauce we serve with our fish is tartare. The flavour of the tartare works so well, without overpowering the fish. And this dish can easily be turned from a main course into a tasty filling for a baguette or brown roll. Just use a large tin of tuna instead of the fresh steaks, mix with the onion, capers, gherkins and mayonnaise, pile on to the bread and shredded lettuce and sprinkle with the lemon juice.
INGREDIENTS
makes 4 open sandwiches
  • 1 egg, size 2
  • half an iceberg lettuce
  • 2-3 tblsp mayonnaise
  • half teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp. chopped capers
  • 1 tsp. chopped gherkins
  • 1 tsp. finely chopped onion
  • 4.5 - 5 tblspn olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 thick slices good brown bread
  • 4 x 6oz (175g) tuna fish steaks, 0.5 in (10mm) thick
  • 0.5 tsp. finely chopped parsley, optional
Cook the egg in boiling water until hard-boiled. Place under cold, running water then discard the shell. Set aside until cool then chop the egg into small pieces. Finely shred the lettuce and transfer to a large bowl. Mix together the mayonnaise and the Dijon mustard, then toss with the shredded lettuce.

Make a tartare dressing by squeezing the juice from the lemon and mixing it with the chopped capers and gherkins, the finely chopped onion and 4 tblsp olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper.

Toast the bread lightly, then cut into large rounds. Meanwhile, season tuna steaks and cook them on a hot grill plate, or in a frying pan, in a trickle of oil. Allow steaks to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, but make sure the centres remain pink. Top the toast with the lettuce mixture then the cooked tuna steaks.

Stir the chopped egg into the prepared dressing, along with the chopped parsley, if using. To serve the sandwiches, just spoon some of the dressing over each steak, so that it trickles down on to the serving plates. Follow it up with an exquisite Lemon and Almond Semolina Cake.

Please send any comments on this page to:
G.Mills@compserv.gla.ac.uk
(George W. Mills, Computing Service, University of Glasgow)