This is the second version of a favourite family dish – hence the (2) in the title. The original version was one of my first ever posts on the blog back in 2011. I used to often make the dish, partly because I liked it so much and it’s really simple, especially for a midweek supper, but also because tuna is about the only fish my son eats – and he likes this dish a lot.

I’m still getting a lot of food online or from local deliveries. I’m going into shops again occasionally but the queues are so long that I end up thinking it’s easier to put in an online order. I like ordering fish from the local fishmonger, Sandy’s in Twickenham, but tend to order a few things at a time and freeze it. I still have some left from my last order … but no tuna. And I saw someone cooking tuna on TV the other day and was reminded I hadn’t cooked it in ages; so I added tuna steaks to my Waitrose list … and a mango! I rarely cook tuna without making this salsa; it’s just a perfect accompaniment.

But as so often happens now, a little bit of adaption was necessary this evening: I didn’t have fresh red chillies, nor lime or fresh coriander. Instead, I made the salsa a little ahead of eating so that I could put in some dried chilli flakes and give them time to soften a bit and impart their gorgeous fiery hit. The tuna was simply griddled with a bit of oil coating and seasoning. I also griddled half a Little Gem lettuce as they griddle well and are a great accompaniment to fish; I roasted some new potatoes.

Prepare the salsa about an hour before you want to eat if possible. If you’re cooking last minute, don’t worry, it will still be delicious.

Griddled Tuna with Mango Salsa – Serves one

• new potatoes (enough for one) cut into chip/wedge shapes
• extra virgin olive oil
• za’atar (optional)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tuna steak
• ½ Little Gem lettuce

Salsa

• Half a mango, cut into small cubes
• ¼ small red onion, finely chopped
• pinch of dried chilli flakes
• handful of chopped fresh herbs (coriander if you have it or I used a mix of flat-leaf parsley and mint from my garden)
• extra virgin olive oil, about 2 tablespoons
• good squeeze fresh lemon or lime
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put all the salsa ingredients in a bowl, give them a good stir to combine well, cover with cling film and put in the fridge for about an hour.

About a half hour before eating, cut the potato, with skin on, into chip-sized wedges. Put in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and boil for just a minute. Drain. Transfer to a small roasting dish. Drizzle over a little olive oil and sprinkle over a little za’atar if you like. Roast in a 200C/180 Fan/Gas 6 oven for about half an hour, turning a couple of times, until nicely golden brown.

Heat the griddle until hot. Smear a little oil over the tuna steak and season with salt and pepper. Put on the hot grill. You can see on the side how it’s cooking through. Turn over and grill the other side. Depending on how rare you like your tuna, allow a little ‘raw’ to remain or cook through if you prefer it well done, but try not to overcook it or it will dry out.

I chose to griddle half a Little Gem lettuce at the same time, coated with some olive oil, and grilled both sides.

It’s all incredibly easy. Serve the hot food with spoonfuls of the mango salsa at the side.

It’s fantastically summery and was perfect for the end of a hot day when the air was still very warm and I could eat supper in the garden. The salsa wasn’t quite the same without the fresh chillies, coriander and lime but still excellent. I just love the combination of the tuna with the spicy mango salsa.