Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Steaks

Everyone should eat this food!

Our two boys left for sleep away camp this past weekend. We took everybody out for a farewell meal the night before drop off to wish them a bon voyage. We decided to go to a classic steakhouse in our town, one that I hadn’t ever been to. We had a great time trying everything from burgers to pork tenderloin to sea scallops. It was delicious and fun to try a new place. But the next day after camp drop off, my husband and I felt a little sad. We wanted to create something extra delicious and comforting for a Sunday night meal with a lighter summer spark. Just for the two of us. The jicama slaw was a first for me and I have to say if it weren’t for the fresh ginger, garlic and pineapple it wouldn’t be worth the trouble of all the chopping. But it was a perfect side for the tuna… cool, crisp with a great crunch! We had a little leftover rice in the fridge and since it was just for the two of us I reheated the rice on the stove in a pan with a little chicken broth and ginger miso butter. I added some black sesame seeds to the rice right at the end before serving as well.

While we still missed our boys, this meal was a real winner. It has all the great attributes of a perfect summer meal. And was, in our opinion, much better than anything we had tried the night before at the steakhouse.

I asked my husband who would enjoy this food? Young people, old people? He said while finishing his plate, “Everyone should eat this food!”

Truer words never spoken.

 Sesame Crusted, Marinated Ahi Tuna Steaks with Fireworks Ginger Miso Butter and pineapple and jicama slaw

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 fresh Ahi Tuna Steaks- 4-6 oz each

1 Tbs white sesame seeds

1 Tbs black sesame seeds

2 Tbs Fresh Wasabi paste or hot horseradish paste

1 Tsp kosher salt

1 green onion, green part only, sliced thin for garnish

2 tbs Ghee

1 tsp sesame oil

 

For the marinade:

1 tbs fresh chopped ginger

1 green onion, white part only, sliced thin

½ cup Fireworks Asian Sesame salad dressing

 

Slaw Ingredients:

1 whole jicama, peeled, sliced in matchsticks

1 half pineapple, cut into thin pieces about ¼” thick by  ½”wide

½ cup fresh pea pods, cut thin on the diagonal

2 medium carrots, shredded with a grater

1 green onion, white part only, chopped finely

1Tbs grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, pressed

¼ cup Fireworks Asian Sesame dressing (or something Asian with a savory bite)

 

 

Preparation:

Place all the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag and toss it around a bit to get all the liquids to cover the fish. Let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes.

 

Use tongs to remove the steaks from marinade and set them on a plate. Combine both black and white sesame seeds and salt on a separate small plate with the horseradish or wasabi on another small plate. Using your hands or tongs pick up one steak and dredge the sides of the fish in the horseradish or wasabi until it is well covered all the way around. You will have a band of wasabi/horseradish all the way around the steak. Next, cover up the wasabi band by dipping the sides into the sesame seed mixture, repeat with the next steak. Then set aside.

To cook, heat a 10” skillet over medium heat with both the ghee and sesame oil. After about 3-4 minutes of heating, gently add the fish and take care not to splatter grease on yourself. Let cook until the fish is still lightly pink on top. Use a spatula to scrape the flesh from the bottom of the pan before flipping. I like to use a thin metal spatula for this. Then take a pair of tongs and turn each steak over on to the other side. Let cook another 3-4 minutes. Tuna is great rare or pink in the middle, but if you prefer it more opaque and cooked all the way through, let it go 5 minutes on each side. Just be careful not to over cook or it will become too dry. Just before serving put a few teaspoons of the Ginger Miso butter on each tuna steak. It will melt into a delicious sauce. Serve with chilled slaw and some aromatic sticky rice.

 

For the slaw:

Once you have all the ingredients chopped and sliced put everything in a bowl and toss to combine. Chill for 30 minutes, then serve.