15min recipe: Cannellini bean salad with seared tuna
Quick to prepare and great for staving off illness…
Light on the stomach and loaded with a delicious combo of sustaining carbohydrates, good-quality protein, heart-healthy omega 3s, vitamins, fibre, potassium and iron, this immune-boosting meal is perfect for summer training. It’s fast food too!
Just combine the salad ingredients, sear the tuna for a couple of minutes and it’s ready to eat and enjoy. If you can’t get hold of fresh tuna, a salmon fillet is a good alternative, but you’ll need to cook it for a little longer.
Ingredients (to serve four)
■ Juice of ½ lemon plus 2 tbsps lemon juice
■ 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
■ 2tbsps red wine vinegar
■ 4tbsps extra virgin olive oil
■ A few drops of Tabasco or hot chilli sauce
■ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
■ 2 x 400g cans of cannellini beans
■ 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
■ 1tbsp capers, rinsed
■ 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
■ Large handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
■ Large handful of parsley, roughly chopped
■ 4 thick tuna steaks
■ 2tbsp olive oil
■ 100g pack of rocket leaves
Method
Step one
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the onions and leave for 5mins.
Step two
Make the dressing by mixing together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Combine the beans, garlic, capers, cherry tomatoes, mint and parsley. Add the onions. Stir half the dressing into the bean mixture, cover and chill in the fridge for 30mins or so.
Step three
Lightly brush the tuna with a little olive oil and heat the griddle pan or frying pan. When it’s really hot, fry the steaks for a couple of minutes on each side. Don’t overcook them or they’ll go rubbery – they should be pink inside. They’ll also continue to cook slightly after you have removed them from the pan.
Step four
Arrange the rocket on four, large flat-bottomed pasta bowls, spoon on some of the bean salad and place a tuna steak on top. Generously drizzle over the rest of the dressing.
Nutrition
›› Energy 509kcal
›› Protein 35g
›› Carbohydrate 20g
›› Fat 33g
›› Sugars 2g
›› Saturates 7g
›› Salt 2.5g
›› Fibre 4g
(Image: Ewelina Karbowiak)
What’s your favourite recipe when you’re training hard? Let us know in the comments!
Jamie Beach
Former digital editor 
