Salade Niçoise with seared fresh tuna and pickled red onion

Husband has been away visiting his family for a week now and already I have disintegrated and dug out our wedding videos. It's only a question of time now before I'll be putting on the wedding gown.



But on the other hand I have been trying to enjoy my new temporary single life and freedom and do all the things that I can't do when he is home.

I thought there isn't anything I can't do while he is here, but during this first week I have come to realise there are quite a few things his otherwise very gentle presence prohibits. So far I have uncovered the following important things I can now do with my newfound temporary freedom:

1. Watch Food Network and Good Food channel without the need to ever switch to news / football / a Steven Seagal movie
2. Put fresh coriander in every dish
3. Comb my hair back without trying to hide my vast forehead

That's mainly it.

My sister once told me that when her husband is away she secretly lights the fire in the fireplace using a technique which her husband doesn't approve of and washes the cast iron pan with a brush instead of just gently rinsing it.

So you don't have to scratch our subservient surfaces very hard to unearth some outrageous and rebellious behaviour.

Unlike the last time he was away, I decided this time around I will actually cook myself proper meals instead of defaulting to my bread and cheese habit. So this week I have actually eaten some homemade food. I have made some stuff that I wouldn't necessary have cooked for husband, like a big bowl of lovely roast vegetables and couscous with lots of chilli and coriander, three c-words that husband is not keen on. And I also made a fish roe linguine. A terrible mistake. Very fishy. The whole house smelled like the Dubai fish market in July.

And I made a beautiful Niçoise salad which husband wouldn't find too controversial but would prefer the tuna fully cooked, whereas I  just quickly seared the fillet the way it should be done.

This is my version of the Salade Niçoise, so forgive the absence of beans. I have nothing against beans, but I find them a bit boring. The Ben Affleck of green vegetables.

Salade Niçoise with fresh seared tuna (serves 2)

2 fresh tuna fillets
Salt
Pepper

Optional marinade for the tuna:
Juice of half an orange
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp soy
2 tbsp garlic infused olive oil

Salad:
2 hard boiled eggs
2-3 boiled potatoes
2 tbsp of capers
10 olives
4-5 anjovies
1/2 a red onion
Handful of cherry tomatoes
A bag of rocket
1 large head of baby gem lettuce

Vinaigrette:
1 garlic clove
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional to pickle the red onion:
Sprinkle of sugar and salt
Red wine vinegar

If you want to marinade the tuna, mix all the marinade ingredients and leave the tuna steaks to marinade in it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. But you can just season the steaks with salt and pepper.

Cover the potatoes with water in a pan. Salt well and bring to boil. In about 20 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes) lower the eggs carefully with a spoon to the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes exactly. The potatoes should be done now as well, but if not continue cooking them until they are done.

While the potatoes are cooking assemble the rest of the salad.

Slice the onion very thinly. I like to use the mandolin.You can use the onion as it is, but I like to pickle it quickly by just sprinkling it with a little sugar and salt and a generous splash of red wine vinegar.

Prepare the vinaigrette by crushing the garlic into a lidded glass jar. Add the rest of the ingredients, close the jar and shake to mix well. Check the taste and adjust seasoning.

Toss the salad leaves and halved cherry tomatoes in some of the vinaigrette dressing and place on a platter. Add the olives and capers onto the platter.

When the potatoes and eggs are done add some oil on a frying pan. When hot add the tuna steaks. They only need 1 minute per side.

While the tuna is cooking quickly slice the potato and peel and quarter the eggs and add on the platter adding some anchovies on top.

Slice the tuna steaks and place on top of the salad and drizzle with a little of the vinaigrette.