This colourful melody of colours, textures, proteins and vegetables is the type of salad we crave year-round. Seared tuna slices rub shoulders with roasted rounds of pumpkin, bitter radicchio leaves, still-crunchy green beans, pickled beetroot and jammy eggs, before the whole plate is drizzled with a dressing made of the pickling liquid, mustard and olive oil.
Note: If Chioggia beetroots are unavailable, substitute baby golden or red beetroots.
Cooking tip: For perfectly centred yolks in your jammy eggs, stir a whirlpool in saucepan for 10 seconds immediately after adding eggs.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced. Toss pumpkin, beetroot, 2 tsp chopped rosemary with 2 tbsp olive oil on large oven tray lined with baking paper. Season. Roast until tender and light golden (25-30 minutes).
Meanwhile, for pickled beetroot, combine vinegar, sugar, 60ml water and large pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Place beetroot in a small heatproof bowl, carefully pour over hot pickling liquid, gently stir to combine, then stand to cool and pickle (15 minutes).
Cook beans in a saucepan of boiling water until just tender (3 minute). Using tongs, transfer beans to a colander, reserving pan of water for the eggs. Rinse beans under cold running water to cool. Season. Set aside.
Return pan of water to the boil, carefully add eggs and cook to your liking (6 minutes for soft-boiled). Refresh in iced water, then drain and peel. Set aside.
Scatter remaining chopped rosemary on a plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Brush tuna loin with 1 tbsp olive oil, then roll in rosemary seasoning. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add rosemary leaves and fry until crisp (10-20 seconds). Drain on paper towel.
Reheat pan over high heat until almost smoking. Add tuna and sear, turning, until browned but still raw inside (1-2 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.
Drain pickled beetroot; reserving beetroot and pickling liquid separately. For dressing, whisk mustard, reserved pickling liquid and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a jug to combine. Season.
Thinly slice the tuna across the grain. Halve eggs. Divide radicchio, roast pumpkin, roast beetroot, pickled beetroot, beans, tuna and eggs among shallow bowls. Drizzle with dressing and scatter with crisp rosemary and olives to serve.
Photo: James Moffatt / Styling: Lucy Busuttil / Food Prep: Rebecca Lyall