Seared Tuna with Lime Crust for Weekend Cookbook Challenge #37: Love

When I started my blog, almost a year ago, my sixth post and my very first blog challenge was I Like to Cook's Weekend Cookbook Challenge. (It was "Vintage Cookbooks" and I made two dishes from The Nancy Drew Cookbook here). Since then, I have dropped in and out of the Weekend Cookbook Challenge, but I have always enjoyed it. Sadly, this challenge (#37), is the last one ever because understandably after three years, its creator, Sara from I Like to Cook, is winding it down and retiring it. The theme for the final WCC is "Love". I decided to interpret it by cooking from a cookbook I love, from an author I love, and with ingredients I love. I chose the Seared Tuna with Lime Crust from Flavours by Donna Hay. I have just about all of Donna's books and her magazines, but Flavours was my first and remains my favorite.  

This is a quick and easy dish, with big flavor and it features one of my favorite all-time ingredients; ahi tuna. Here it's combined with lime and herbs and gets a nice kick from red chillies. Served over noodles and rocket (arugula) it makes a light and tasty lunch or dinner. 

Seared Tuna with Lime Crust

Flavours, Donna Hay

(Serves 4)

375 g (12 oz) tuna fillet

1 Tbsp grated lime rind

1/3 cup (2 3/4 fl oz) lime juice

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 small red chillies, seeded and chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

sea salt and cracked black pepper

400 g (13 oz) fettuccine

1 Tbsp olive oil, extra

100 g (3 1/2 oz) baby rocket (arugula) leaves

extra lime juice and olive oil to serve

Trim the tuna of any sinew and place in a shallow dish. Combine the lime rind, lime juice, dill, parsley, chillies, olive oil, salt and pepper and pour over the tuna to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, turning once. 

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until al dente. Drain. While the pasta is cooking, heat the extra oil in a frying pan over high heat. Remove the tuna from the marinade and reserve the liquid. Cook the tuna for 1 minute per side or until well seared, then slice.  

To serve, pile the pasta on serving plates and top with rocket leaves, sliced tuna and the reserved marinade. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lime juice before serving. Serves 4.

Notes/Results: Lovely! The lime and herb crust really compliments the tuna and the spice from the chillies, with the peppery bite of the arugula is the perfect accompaniment. It goes together easily and you can have a beautiful plate of food on the table in 30 minutes (most of that time is marinating the tuna). Rather than the fettuccine called for, I used a rice noodle and I lessened the olive oil slightly, but otherwise kept it the same.  

Thanks Sara for such a great job creating and hosting WCC. It's been fun taking part in it. Check out the final Weekend Cookbook Challenge Round Up and see how everyone else showed their "love" after the 15th, here.