Tuna, New Potato and Salsa Verde Salad

I often get emails from people asking me what kind of food I would recommend for lunch.  And by lunch I don’t mean a laid back spread for more than two, beginning at lunchtime and ending at some point in the afternoon.  I, or rather, they, mean lunch at the office, sat at your desk, or out and about, sat on a patch of grass somewhere desperately pointing towards the sun, or in the car with half an hour to spare.  Lunch can be tricky, with so few restaurants and shops catering to food sensitivities, it is often easier, and certainly safer, to make your own.  I tend to keep lunch simple, unless I’m entertaining; salads, wraps, soups are all perfect lunchtime food.  As are leftovers from the night before, revamped into an exciting new meal – though I know this is contentious, some people being averse to leftovers in any form, though I can’t think why, personally.  You can find recipes for Corn Tortilla wraps or Flatbreads in my book, perfect for combining with Carrot and Fennel Salad and hummus, or cooked chicken and homemade pesto or avocado and smoked ham with alittle onion marmalade to add punch.  The combinations are, at the least, generous and if you have such a dish, plus a bowl of warming soup, then I’d call it a lunchtime feast.  Equally, a little something baked at the beginning of the week can offer you a treat for each day.  As in all aspects of life, if you’re a little bit organised and pre-prepared, an allergy-free lunch can be a easy, nourishing and most importantly, delicious thing.

This gloriously simple salad is packed full of flavour and I think the perfect thing to take in a tub for your midday meal.  Good quality tuna – and safely caught – new potatoes and the intense, fragrant piquancy of salsa verde are a sublime combination.  Pair it with a handful of green leaves, rocket especially, and some finely sliced sundried tomatoes and I’d call it a triumph.  At this time of year I would highly recommend Jersey Royles for your choice of potato, they’re the first in season and really delicious, although a little pricey.  But as the good people at Eat the Seasons say ‘Look at it this way; Jersey Royals aren't cheap, but the potatoes you'll be eating for the other ten months of the year are, so treat yourself!’  They make a good point, I think.

TUNA, NEW POTATO AND SALSA VERDE SALAD

Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as part of a larger spread

For the salsa verde

A bunch of flat-leaf parsley

A bunch of chives

A small bunch of mint

3 tbsp capers, rinsed

The juice and zest of ½ a lemon

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

400g new potatoes

160g good quality tuna in spring water or olive oil, drained

Place the parsley, chives and mint leaves in a food processor.   Add the capers, lemon juice and zest and olive oil.  Blitz until you have a coarse pasted and then transfer to a bowl.  Alternatively, finely chop the herbs and capers and mix together with the oil and lemon juice.  Chill the salsa verde until ready to use.

Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size, you want them to be in small, bite size chunks.  Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the new potatoes – when cooking potatoes it’s a good rule to know that if they are old potatoes you should place them in cold water and then bring to the boil before timing, whereas, when cooking new potatoes, you should add them to already boiling water and then time. 

Gently boil the potatoes until tender to a knife point – around 8-10 minutes - and then drain.  Transfer the new potatoes to a large serving bowl, flake in the tuna and then spoon over the salsa verde.  Fold together until evenly mixed and serve.

Tuna and Horseradish Fishcakes

 

With summer having seemingly deserted us, my thoughts have – once again – turned to slightly more comforting, autumnal fare.  For me, potatoes are to winter what cold drinks are to summer: an absolute necessity.  Nothing is sure to warm you up faster than a baked potato, crisp on the outside, tender and crumbling in the centre; nor is anything more of a food ‘hug’ than a serving of creamy mashed potato.  With that in mind, the potato cake, although a humble affair, encompasses the appeal of both creamy and crisp making it an absolute must on a chilly Autumnal eve.  I am particularly partial to the retro combination tuna and potato and so rather embrace the use of some good quality tinned or jarred tuna steak – stored in olive oil is best.  If this is a little too much of a cheat for you, you could very easily sear a fresh tuna steak, tear it into flakes and combine it with the mash.  The results would be delicious, if a little slower.  What is a necessity is the inclusion of freshly grated horseradish. 

The horseradish root looks, to all intents and purposes, like a harmless if rather ugly, knobbly parsnip.  Don’t be fooled.  Behind that weathered skin (which needs serious peeling, by the way) lies some seriously powerful, delicious and fibrous root.  By far the best way to eat fresh horseradish is by grating it into a bowl, pouring over a dash of oat cream, a squeeze of lemon juice and a good amount of seasoning.  If you serve that with some thick, rare roast beef slices you will understand what all the fuss is about.  The second best way to eat fresh horseradish is to grate it into mashed potato, add a good dollop of butter (replacement) or pouring of olive oil, season well and beat together.  It is creamy, ambrosial nectar with a serious belt of glorious heat.  I personally adore horseradish so the more the better as far as I am concerned (fear not, I have been conservative for the amounts in this recipe).  Go with your instincts, if you love heat then add more, if not, tame it down a little.  Either way, the combination of velvety mash, flaked tuna and the heat of horseradish makes for a lovely fishcake.  If it is warm outside I tend to serve this with some freshly cooked beetroot, sliced into thick rounds, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive and a scattering of freshly ground black pepper.  If it is wintry outside then try eating them with some homemade roasted parsnip chips and minted peas – heaven.

TUNA AND HORSERADISH FISHCAKES

Serves 4

500g/1lb 2oz potatoes – ideally Maris Piper

75g/3oz fresh horseradish

1 x 175g good quality tinned tuna

2 tsp butter replacement – Pure Sunflower Spread

1 tbsp groundnut oil

A small bunch of parsley

Peel and cut the potatoes into 2 inch pieces.  Place the potatoes in a vat of salted water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender – around 10 – 15 minutes.  You want the potatoes to be soft enough so that you can mash them without adding any oil or butter.  Once cooked, drain, season well and mash until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.

Peel the fresh horseradish and finely grate.  Finely chop the fresh parsley.  Drain the tuna and, using a fork, break up in to small flakes.  Add the grated horseradish and butter replacement to the mashed potato and mix through until evenly distributed.

Add tuna and fresh parsley to the potato, season well and mix thoroughly so that the ingredients bind together.  Carefully shape the mashed potato in to four cakes approximately 3 inches in diameter (it helps if your hands are very cold or lightly floured) then cover and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, heat the groundnut oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the potato cakes.  Fry gently for approximately 5 minutes on each side, until each cake is golden brown and cooked through.  Carefully remove from the pan and serve while hot.