Tuna with White Beans, Lemon & Soft Herbs

Ingredients

• 4 tuna steaks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 15g dill, roughly chopped
• 15g mint, roughly chopped
• 70g rocket
• 1 tbsp capers, drained
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Buttered new potatoes, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and soften the shallot for 2 minutes until translucent. Add the sliced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold — don't let it brown, burnt garlic turns the whole pan bitter.
2. Tip in the butter beans with half the lemon juice and a splash of water — the liquid loosens the beans and stops them sticking. Simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes until warmed through and glossy.
3. Fold through the parsley, dill and mint off the heat. Season generously with salt and a good grind of black pepper — taste now, the beans should ring bright and herby, not stodgy. Adjust before they hit the plate.
4. Pat the tuna steaks bone-dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no crust. Rub all over with the remaining olive oil, the lemon zest, and season heavily with salt and pepper before they hit the pan.
5. Heat a heavy stainless or cast-iron pan until it's almost smoking — you want the metal angry. Lay the tuna in away from you and sear for 1 minute each side, no longer. The middle should stay rosy and tender; carry-over heat will keep cooking it on the plate. If your pan looks crowded, sear in two batches — crowding drops the heat and you'll grey the fish instead of browning it.
6. Pile the herby beans onto warm plates with the rocket alongside, scatter the capers over for a briny hit, then slice the tuna across the grain and lay it over the top.
7. Finish each plate with a squeeze of lemon from what's left, a final crack of pepper, and serve with crusty bread to mop up the herby juices.