one of my new year’s resolutions was to make better use of my cookery books. over the holidays i spent an afternoon going through a few books and magazines making a list of things i want to try and cook this month.

one of the books i picked up was diana henry’s crazy water, pickled lemons. i have used this book quite a lot as she creates dishes with strong and vibrant flavours, using lots of fresh herbs and spices. each time the recipe has turned out well. today’s chermoula-marinated tuna was no exception with a strong spicy flavour that contrasted well with the herby, pomegranate-tangy jewelled couscous which we ate it with.

chermoula-marinated tuna* (serves 2)

2 thick tuna steaks

marinade:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 medium red chilli, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

zest and juice of a lime

1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley leaves, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

mix the marinade ingredients together in a large shallow bowl. add the tuna and coat the fish with the marinade mix and leave for 30 minutes.

heat a griddle pan until it is smoking then quickly cook the tuna steaks – about 1 ½ minutes on each side will ensure they remain pink inside. serve with jewelled couscous.

* adapted from a recipe by diana henry

other recipes from crazy water, pickled lemons:

crazy water (december 2007)

bulgar and spinach pilaf with labneh and chilli roast tomatoes (july 2007)

lamb shank tagine with quince (november 2006)