Foodie Friday: Asian-Style Seared Tuna

I was well into my twenties before I tried real tuna. Not the canned crap that resembled cat food, but those delightfully bright red tuna steaks. The difference between the canned stuff and a good tuna steak is the difference between Spam and filet mignon.

Ingredients:

• 2 good quality tuna steaks, about 1″ thick.
• ½ c sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin (or, in a pinch 1 T sherry + ½ t sugar)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

For the sauce:

• 3 T soy sauce
• 1 T mirin (or, in a pinch 1 T sherry + ½ t sugar)
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T rice wine vinegar
• 1 t ginger, finely chopped
• Green onion, to garnish

Method:

1. Mix together the soy sauce, mirin, honey, and sesame oil, and marinate the tuna in this mixture for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove tuna from the marinade and coat with the sesame seeds.
3. Get your pan nice and hot. Sear the tuna at high heat until the outside is nicely seared but the inside remains bright pink. Expect about 30-45 seconds per side.
4. Remove from heat and serve with the sauce on the side for dipping and a mixed greens salad. If desired, add a touch of wasabi to the sauce.

This is a dish that is best served quite rare, but if you absolutely must you can cook it a little more. If you go beyond medium rare, you might as well just buy a can of Chicken of the Sea :). Pairs well with a lighter, less oaky white wine like a pinot grigio / pinot gris.

Photo by acme.

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