Filetti di tonno con pesto di menta

Mint pesto is a vibrant alternative to the traditional basil sauce. This fresh herb puree goes well together with lamb, chicken and pasta, but it is especially delicious with fish. Because pesto is not cooked but raw, it is essentially important to use the best available ingredients. Splurge on a good Italian extra virgin olive oil, and you will never regret the purchase. Even though a single sprig of mint has a very intense flavor, when you grind several leaves with other ingredients, the end result is a light and delicious pesto sauce. The first mention of recipe for modern pesto is from the book La Cuciniera Genovese written in 1863 by Giovanni Battista Ratto. But pesto is way older than that – the ancient Romans ate a paste called moretum, which was made by crushing cheese, garlic and herbs together. Nowadays there are several variations available, next to the traditional basil based variety pesto can be made with parsley, rocket, and even sun-dried tomato and red bell pepper.

Ingredients: 

2 fresh tuna fillets

Marinade:

olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp chives, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1/2 lemon

Mint pesto: 

20 mint leaves

2 dl/ 2/3 cup olive oil

20 gr/ 2/3 oz pine nuts

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 

Marinade: Mix the olive oil with the garlic, salt and pepper, finely chopped chives and the lemon juice. Let the tuna steaks marinade in the mixture for ca. 30 minutes. Do not exceed the marinating time, because the lemon might overcook the tuna.

Mint pesto: Meanwhile, prepare the mint pesto by first washing and drying the mint leaves, then mixing all the pesto ingredients in a blender. Add the oil gradually so that the consistency remains creamy.

Tuna fillets: Remove the tuna from the marinade and gently remove any excess marinade on the tuna fillets. Fry the tuna steaks for 3 minutes on each side. Ideally, the meat is still pink in the middle after frying. Cut the tuna steaks into 2 cm/ 2/3 inch thick slices. Arrange them on a serving plate and drizzle some mint pesto on each tuna slice. As a side dish, serve a refreshing salad with lettuce or rocket and tomatoes.