Who said healthy food had to be boring? This flavour-packed recipe combines meaty fish with a harissa-spiced aubergine ragout and refreshing, minty couscous.

The tuna cooks extremely quickly and will continue to rise as much as 14°C when it’s removed from the heat, so it’s essential to keep your Thermapen on hand to ensure your steak isn’t dry.

Temperatures

Cook until the middle reaches an internal temperature of 61°C for well done or 51°C for medium rare. A tuna steak can increase by as much as 14°C after being removed from the heat!

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the tuna

• 4 tuna steaks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• Juice ½ lemon
• Seasoning

For the aubergine ragout

• 1 large or two small aubergines, sliced lengthways
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried mint
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch smoked paprika

For the couscous salad

• 240g couscous
• 1 ltr mushroom stock
• ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• ½ cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
• Juice 1 lemon
• ¼ tbsp virgin olive oil
• 3 spring onions finely chopped
• Seasoning

Directions

To make the ragout

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas mark 4.
• Bake the aubergine until cooked, roughly 20 minutes.
• Sauté the onions for around 8 minutes.
• Mix the remaining ingredients and add to the aubergine.
• Cook for 30 minutes.

To make the couscous

• Place the couscous in a bowl. Heat the mushroom stock and pour over the couscous.
• Place a tight-fitting lid over the bowl and allow the couscous to soak up the stock for at least 20 minutes.
• Add the oil and lemon juice, stir with a fork and adjust the seasoning until you’re happy with the flavour. Then add the spring onions.

To make the tuna

• Marinade the tuna in the oil, garlic and seasoning.
• Heat a frying pan until smoking, then add the tuna and marinade to the pan. Brown on both sides for roughly 1 minute and until the middle reaches an internal temperature of 61°C for well done or 51°C for medium rare. A tuna steak can increase by as much as 14°C after being removed from the heat!
• Remove the tuna from the pan. Add the juice of half a squeezed lemon to the pan, scraping all of the residue using a wooden spoon. Pour sauce over the tuna.

Laura Tulloch

Thermapen Chef & Caterer

@laura_sussexfoodie

"I love my Thermapen, it really helps me cook with confidence. As a caterer the health and safety of everyone you cook for is paramount, but that doesn't mean you have to compromise with your cooking. A simple reassuring check with the Thermapen throughout the process is all that's needed to allow you to enjoy, and confidently serve what you've made."