The problem with many quick-as-a-flash recipes is that they fall flat. You end up trading flavor, freshness and/or variety in texture and temperature for that efficiency.
But some fast dishes rise to the occasion, as evidenced by this Tuna With Basil-Mint Oil and Cucumber Salad.
The first time I made it, I gathered my ingredients, jotted down my starting time, as I often do — even when I'm just cooking for myself (force of habit). As I sprinkled the pistachios over the plate of food — the final step — I glanced at the clock. Less than 20 minutes had passed.
But would it be good? We dug in. It was. The minty basil oil added grassy freshness and richness that balanced the lightly seasoned, warm tuna and the cool, thinly sliced cucumber. The chopped pistachios added crunch.
So, I made it again, cutting the oil a bit and adding a little water and vinegar to the sauce to lighten it a touch. Same thing. Twenty minutes.
The recipe comes from the "April" chapter of "365: A Year of Everyday Cooking & Baking" by Meike Peters (Prestel, $40). The 12 chapters — one for each month — offer a recipe a day so you can cook your way through the changing seasons. Some are savory; some are sweet.
I've had the cookbook on my shelf for some time, but only recently gave it the attention it deserves. I've now added it to my retirement bucket list: My goal is to cook my way through it. (Based on the number of sticky notes I've already added to the book's pages, I will have made quite a dent in the 365 recipes by the time I retire.)
In my house, it's just me and my husband, so I appreciate that many of Peters' recipes serve just two. Not every dish is lickety-split fast, but Peters, who won a James Beard award for her 2016 book, "Eat in My Kitchen," thoughtfully designates weekends for more complicated dishes. (Just like most of us do in real life.)
Buy the freshest tuna steak you can and cook it to your liking for this quick-as-a-flash dish that marries the warm meaty fish with cool cucumbers and crunchy pistachios all draped in a minty-basil oil.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Tuna With Basil-Mint Oil, Cucumber and Pistachios
- 1 large handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 large handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
- 1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, divided use
- Fine salt
- 1 (9- to 10-ounce) tuna steak, about 1-inch thick
- Finely ground black pepper
- ½ English cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons salted pistachios, chopped, plus more as needed
In a food processor, combine the basil, mint, ¼ cup of the olive oil, the vinegar, 1 tablespoon water and ¼ teaspoon of the lemon zest and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped. Taste, and season with salt and the remaining lemon zest as needed.
Pat the tuna dry and lightly season with salt and pepper.
In a small, heavy pan over high heat, heat the remaining oil until shimmering. Add the tuna and cook to your liking, for tuna that is flaky but still pink inside, 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice in half.
Arrange the cucumber slices as desired on two plates, add half the tuna to each plate and drizzle the tuna and cucumber with the basil-mint oil. Sprinkle each plate with the pistachios, adding more if desired, and serve.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 450 calories, 33 g protein, 32 g fat, 6 g carbohydrate (2 g sugar), 50 mg cholesterol, 210 mg sodium and 1 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: .5