Tuna steaks served over the best sweet potato salad with pomegranate, cherry tomatoes, butter beans and a simple sherry vinaigrette.
The Best Summer Salad
During the summer I just love a nice salad with some form of grilled meat or protein. Quick and easy and so satisfying. Great if you are grilling or BBQing too.
I’m serving this delicious sweet potato and pomegranate salad with tuna steaks, but it also works well with chicken or grilled halloumi if you want to keep it vegetarian. The salad is the real star here – full of fresh summer flavour with a touch of sweetness from the pomegranate.
You can make this salad easily in advance too, perfect for BBQs and summer garden parties (which hopefully we can start going to again soon!). Just keep the dressing separate till ready to serve.
Sherry Vinaigrette Dressing
The sherry vinaigrette is light and zingy and really makes the salad pop, however if you can’t get hold of sherry vinegar you could substitute rice wine vinegar. White wine vinegar would work in a real pinch, but I’d recommend using only half the amount due to the stronger acidity.
Roasted Sweet Potato
I LOVE roasted sweet potato – super versatile and delicious in so many different recipes. In this recipe, the sweet potatoes are simply roasted with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. The trick to great roasted sweet potato is to keep the chunks all the same size so they cook evenly.
How to Cook Tuna Steak
Tuna steak may seem like a daunting fish to cook, but it’s really very simple. Make sure you get your grill or pan super hot to sear the skin (this is the pan* I use and really recommend). Lightly season the steaks, drizzle them with a little oil, then add them to the hot pan. You only need to cook the tuna for a couple of minutes each side – you want a nice sear on the outside, but a slightly pink middle.
If you’re looking for another delicious salad that’s perfect for grilling or a BBQ then check out my recipe for Lemon Dill Potato Salad or Tabbouleh Style Bulgar Salad.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, please leave me a comment if you try it!
Tuna Steaks with Sweet Potato and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
- 4 tuna steaks
- 1 large sweet potato
- 200 gram cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tin of butter beans
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 100 gram pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander cilantro
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Sherry Vinaigrette
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220°c/200 fan/425F/Gas 7
- Peel and chop your sweet potato into ½ inch chunks. Toss with olive oil and a generous crack of salt & pepper.
- Arrange the sweet potato chunks on a large baking sheet in a single layer and cook in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, tossing at the 15 minute mark, till starting to crisp around the edges. Allow to cool before adding to the rest of the salad ingredients.
- To prepare the rest of the salad, first drain and rinse the tin of butter beans. Add to a large bowl with the onion, cherry tomatoes, pomegranate seeds and chopped herbs.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooled, add to the bowl and mix everything together.
- To make the dressing, add the oil, vinegar and lemon juice to a small jar or bowl and stir or shake to combine. Season to taste.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad, starting with 3 tablespoons. Toss together then taste and add more dressing as required. You may not need to use it all.
- To cook the tuna steaks, first season them on both sides with salt & pepper then drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Heat a griddle or frying pan over a high heat – you want it to be nice and hot to sear the tuna.
- Add the steaks to the pan and cook over a high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. You want them to stay slightly pink in the middle.
- Let the tuna rest for a couple of minutes before serving with the salad.
Nutrition
