Chef Tony cooks Samphire and Potato Salad with Tuna

Good culinary news – it’s the British samphire season.

CHEF TONY SAYS: You can usually buy samphire year round by asking at the local fish market, but they may need a week to get some as it’s normally imported from Israel or France. I do prefer British samphire though. After I was lucky enough to buy some from my local fish market in Bury, I decided to do a simple salad with some tuna from the same stall, paired with some heritage cherry tomatoes from a vendor just outside the fish market.

I used tuna steaks for this recipe but skin-on salmon fillet or cod would work just as well – just remember to adjust your cooking time for the fish.

Warm Potato and Samphire Salad with Tuna

Ingredients

200g samphire
400g cherry/heritage tomatoes halved
600g waxy new potatoes (Jersey royals are ideal)
1 garlic clove crushed
zest of 2 lemons, kept separate
20g chopped parsley
4 tuna steaks

For the dressing

1 shallot finely diced
juice of 2 lemons
1 garlic clove crushed
pinch of salt
100ml olive oil

Instructions
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add your potatoes and cook for 20-25 mins until tender. While the potatoes are cooking make the dressing, mix the shallot, lemon juice 1/2 the garlic cloves salt and oil together.

Once cooked drain the potatoes and set aside, refill your sauce pan with water and bring back to the boil, do not season this pan as the samphire is salty, Once boiling add the samphire and cook for 1 minute, halve the potatoes or cut into quarters if too large. Drain the samphire and wipe the pan out and return to the heat. Add a little oil and fry the garlic for 2 minutes till soft but not coloured. Then add the potatoes, tomatoes, parsley and lemon zest and heat for 1 minute. Add the samphire and stir together. Check the seasoning and add more salt if required and a squeeze of lemon if needed. Divide the salad between 4 bowls.

Heat up a grill pan till smoking, oil and season the tuna, place onto the grill for 1 minute either side to create bar marks – this will cook the tuna til pink in the middle/ If you want it cooked more simply increase the time in pan but reduce the heat so you don’t burn the tuna.

Place the tuna on top of the salad and drizzle the dressing on top.

PROPER FOOD FOR PROPER APPETITES
Each week, discover recipes to nourish the soul, all compiled and concocted by Chef Tony, a gastronome with 15 years’ of experience cooking across the North West. Chef Tony has worked in some of the region’s best kitchens, including the award-winning Nutters in Rochdale and The Lowry at Salford Quays.