Phenomenal Phoods

Soy-Ginger Seared Ahi Tuna

Ingredients:

• Tuna:
• 3/4 cup dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili sauce
• 1 (1 lb.) ahi tuna steak (this ended up being more than enough for two people)
• Vegetable oil for brushing
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• Pickled Cucumbers:
• 1 cup paper-thin sliced cucumbers (seeds removed)
• 1/4 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Coconut Rice:
• 3/4 cup well-stirred canned coconut milk
• 1/4 cup water
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup Basmati rice

Instructions:

1. Tuna:
2. Whisk together the sherry, soy sauce, honey, garlic, lime juice, chili sauce, and ginger in a small bowl. Put the tuna in a ziploc bag or small dish and pour 1/4 cup of the mixture overtop. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes (you want the tuna to be at room temperature before searing it so that it will cook evenly). Set aside the rest of the marinade.
3. The tuna that I bought was a little bit more than an inch thick, and I thought that it worked perfectly for this recipe.
4. Heat a grill pan (or prepare an outdoor grill) to medium-high heat. It will be hot enough to sear the fish when the pan starts smoking (fellow apartment-dwellers, open your windows). Remove the tuna steak from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Brush all sides with vegetable oil. Sear for about 2 minutes per side. This should be enough to cook the shorter sides as well, but you might want to just turn it to all sides of the steak for a few extra seconds with the tongs. The center of the tuna steak should be a dark pink colour. It will dry out if overcooked. You should get some really nice grill lines on the outside of the tuna.
5. Meanwhile, put the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to syrupy consistency, about 10-15 minutes (start this before you start to cook the tuna). Remove from the heat and stir in sesame oil. I find that sesame oil is really overpowering compared to other ingredients in most sauces that I have tried so you might want to just add a little bit and taste it.
6. Slice the tuna steak into thin strips and serve immediately with the pickled cucumbers and coconut rice.
7. Pickled Cucumbers:
8. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate for 15 minutes or up to a full day. I put it in the fridge for a good 5 hours to let everything settle. The best way to slice the cucumbers that thinly is to use a vegetable peeler.
9. Coconut Rice:
10. In a small saucepan, bring the coconut milk, water, and salt to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat to low and simmer rice, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes covered. You can sprinkle the rice with sweetened, flaked coconut that has been toasted, but that seemed a little bit too desserty to me.