Make Hairy Bikers tuna spaghetti with fresh steaks, not a tin, and you get chilli-crusted tuna with spaghetti, tenderstem broccoli, cherry tomatoes and lemon. Then the numbers: The Hairy Dieters version serves 2 at 472 calories a portion, ready in about 25 minutes.
Rather than flaking the fish through a sauce, Si and Dave sear each steak and serve it whole beside the pasta. Which makes it the quick lunch or supper they say “really hits the spot”, using very fresh steaks, especially for eating them a little rare.
The pasta finishes in the pan the tuna was fried in, which is why they ask for a large frying pan from the start. Then 2 minutes of tossing picks up the chilli and pepper left behind, so the spaghetti carries some of that crust.
Hairy Bikers Tuna Spaghetti
Description
Spaghetti boils for 10 minutes before the broccoli joins it for 2 more, while chilli-rubbed tuna steaks sear in a big frying pan. Then the drained pasta tumbles into that same pan with cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, chilli oil and parsley.
Ingredients
For the tuna
For the pasta
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Half fill a large pan with water and bring it to the boil. Meanwhile, trim the broccoli, cutting each stem into 3 and leaving the heads whole. Then add the spaghetti, return to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, before adding the broccoli for 2 minutes more.
- Season the tuna: Meanwhile, mix the chilli flakes, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Then sprinkle it lightly over both sides of the tuna.
- Sear the tuna: Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, since the pasta goes into it later. Fry the tuna for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or 1½ minutes a side if you like it rare.
- Toss the pasta: Drain the pasta and broccoli, and put the tuna on warmed plates. Then add the spaghetti, broccoli, tomatoes, lemon juice, chilli oil and parsley to the frying pan. And toss for 2 minutes with two wooden spoons, until the pasta is lightly coated and the tomatoes soften but hold their shape.
- Serve: Divide the spaghetti between the plates with tongs or forks, adding lemon wedges if you like. Then serve straight away while it’s hot.
FAQs
Can you make tuna spaghetti with tinned tuna?
Yes, though they use a different recipe for it: the Mediterranean Adventure linguine with tuna that a Carloforte chef called Andreas made for them. But where he used fresh tuna, they flake 150 to 200g of tinned or jarred tuna with capers, green olives, lemon zest and Parmesan.
And their roast tomato and tuna linguine roasts 750g of cherry tomatoes with garlic, then stirs in a can of tuna. But it shares a book with their Everyday Winners tuna pasta bake, which bakes two tins under Cheddar if you’d rather something baked.
How long do you cook tuna steaks for spaghetti?
They fry them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on how thick they are, or 1½ minutes a side for rare. And I’d move them onto the warmed plates straight away, since they keep cooking for a minute off the heat.
Can you use salmon instead of tuna?
Yes, they suggest salmon steaks or even white fish fillets if you prefer. For more salmon ideas, their One Pot Wonders salmon tray bake roasts fillets for just eight or nine minutes over sweet potato and peppers.
Is tuna spaghetti good for weight loss?
It’s built for it, because it’s a Hairy Dieters recipe with just 50g of dried spaghetti per person. And they warn you to “Note the amount of pasta and don’t overdo it.” So the fat stays low too, with a tablespoon of olive oil to fry the tuna and a teaspoon of chilli oil between two.
And for an even lighter chilli pasta, their Make It Easy chilli prawn pasta comes in at 302 calories.
How do you make tuna spaghetti spicier?
The heat comes from a teaspoon of chilli flakes in the rub and a teaspoon of chilli oil tossed through at the end. So I’d add a little more chilli oil rather than flakes, since it coats every strand in those final 2 minutes.
