Easy, cheap and cheerful recipes that make the most of tuna

For some, it’s the staple of soggy lunchtime sandwiches or healthy attempts at dry and lifeless salads. For others it’s a tower of tins that lives a lonely existence at the back of the cupboard gathering dust.

But as one Japanese restaurant owner hits the headlines by paying a record price of £472,000 for one, we asked three people how they make the most of the fish. Here are their easy, cheap and cheerful tuna recipes.

Easy – Mary’s Simple Soy-Glazed Tuna (serves two)

Mary Woolstencroft, 31, Northants:

“I think people are generally a bit scared of tuna steaks. In fact, there are probably loads of people that have only ever come across the tinned variety – which is why they don’t know what to do with a nice big piece of the stuff. The truth is, it’s pretty similar to other fish in its versatility, you just have to keep things simple and try not to overcook it!”

Ingredients: 2 x tuna steaks, 25ml soy sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 x red chilli, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 x spring onions. Serve with salad, stir fry or noodles.

Put the soy sauce in a very lightly oiled saucepan or wok and add the brown sugar, heating until the sugar dissolves. Chop the garlic and chilli finely and add to the mix and keep on a medium heat for a couple of minutes before adding the tuna steaks. Gently cook the tuna for one or two minutes on each side, depending on how rare you want it, and sprinkle with sesame seeds as you do. Then serve with either noodles or a nice Asian-style salad or stir fry.

Cheap – Tim’s Tempting Tuna and Pasta Grill (serves up to four)

Tim Monaghan, 27, Ipswich:

“This was a recipe a friend of mine taught me back when I was a student and trying to impress a girl I’d met on campus. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure at first as I’d never actually cooked with tinned tuna before – but it’s so quick and easy I now do it all the time. The relationship, I’m sad to say, didn’t last too long… but the recipe continues to impress years after I first tried it out!”

Ingredients: 200g (2 x tins) of tuna in olive oil, 400g penne pasta, 100g jar of pesto, 250g cherry tomatoes, 100g of cheddar cheese

Boil the pasta until cooked and add to a large oven-proof dish and then turn on the grill to heat up on its high setting. Mix the pasta with the full jar of pesto and add in both tins of tuna. You can drain a little of the oil but not all of it as it gives the bake a little more moisture. Chop your cherry tomatoes into halves and spread them around the mixture across the top, before layering the cheese all over. Then just pop it under the grill until the cheese is good and melted.

Cheerful – Bella’s Sassy Sesame Tuna Starters

Bella Sillitoe, 35, Manchester:

“I’m not sure people realise just how versatile tuna can be. Obviously, we all know the tinned stuff can be used for all sorts, but the steaks can be done in a million different ways too! As a mum, I’ve learned that getting kids to eat fish isn’t easy, but this dish is great as either a cute little bite-sized meal for little ones, or a sexy starter for when you have guests round for dinner. See, I told you – versatile!”

Ingredients: Half a cucumber, cider vinegar, chilli flakes, golden caster sugar, 2 thick tuna steaks (at least 150g each), sesame seeds

Peel the outside of your cucumber using a potato peeler or sharp knife, then shave off some very thin strips from the flesh of the vegetable. Once you have 16 of these, warm up the cider vinegar and drop in a pinch of chilli flakes and a tablespoon of the sugar. When it has been brought to the boil, pour it over the cucumber strips. Next, cut the tuna into cubes, roll in sesame seeds, fry in a little oil just enough for them to brown. Pop them on to a cocktail stick along with the cucumber strips – which should be formed into an S shape on top of the tuna.

Tags featured fish food & drink recipes