Asian salad with seared ahi tuna

A great blend of flavours and textures!

Perfectly-seared tuna is meaty yet tender, and the fresh greens and vegetables provide a nice counterpoint of crunch. The hot-salty-sour-sweet dressing brings it all together with a bang. With tuna, it’s best to buy it from a reputable fishmonger. If you are worried about eating fish that is cooked to ‘just rare’, freeze it first and then let it thaw before searing.

Ingredients

• 2 (6 oz) ahi or yellowfin tuna steaks (3/4” thick)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free version)
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) chili garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) white sugar
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) lime juice
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons (10 mL) sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 6 cups (1.4 L) mixed baby greens, washed & dried
• 1/4 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) red pepper, thinly sliced

Method

• In a small bowl, make dressing by combining soy sauce, chili paste, ginger, vinegar, sugar and lime juice; whisk in sesame oil then drizzle in olive oil in a slow stream while whisking vigorously to emulsify dressing slightly.
• Divide greens evenly on four serving plates. Sprinkle cucumber and red pepper over the greens.
• Season both sides of tuna steaks generously with freshly ground black pepper. Heat a heavy duty non-stick or cast iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, sear tuna for one minute on each side. It should still be red in the middle.
• Remove tuna from pan and slice into 1/4″ thick slices; fan these out over the plated greens and vegetables.
• Drizzle with dressing; sprinkle with a few green onion slices and toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 4.