I haven’t shared my recipes much before however this seared tuna was so much fun to create and easy to make, leaving me with the feeling that I had to share this. This whole journey started with a quest of the Social Club at work to try out a new vendor for sashimi. We only get sushimi once a year and a friend had discovered a cheaper vendor then the fish markets, so we decided to give it a go!
Tuna Sushimi
The tuna was divided and sliced as best we could. After all, we’re not exactly trained chefs. Starting with the top of the piece which had fewer runs thought it thin slices were created. The tuna was soft and melted in your mouth. Exactly as it should be! So far this was looking positive.
To change things up we also made a version of what I call sushi burrito. Starting with a nori sheet for the base, some rice followed by the tuna on top. Then depending on your preference condiments were added including wasabi, Japanese Mayo and Soy Sauce. My colleagues were really skilled at this. There were a few where we put too much rice in making it difficult to close. Hence the term sushi burrito.
Unfortunately, in the next section of the tuna, it became stringy and hard to eat. This section would definitely suit being cooked. I was the only one that was able to take the tuna home, so began the journey of cooking my first piece of Tuna. And hoping that my partner who wasn’t a fan of fish wouldn’t mind the smell too much.
Crusted Seared Tuna
The pieces of tuna were already perfectly cut so I just left them as is. I kept the recipe simple by placing some seems seeds on a plate and coating each piece of tuna. There didn’t seem to be a need for an egg wash or anything like that based on the recipes I looked at and the seeds stuck well on their own. I also prepared a small salad of lettuce leaves and mushrooms that I would cook at the end.
I felt the tuna would need a dipping sauce of some sort. Rather then just a plain soy sauce I placed a dollop of minced Ginger into the soy to add some extra bite. With the heat on high and the pan nice and hot, I added one of the smaller pieces just to test the cooking method out.
I left these on for about 45seconds each side. I had planned for only 30seconds however I could see that it hadn’t quite seared enough. After slicing up the first piece I felt it was cooked just perfectly but needed to be on just slightly longer to brown the seeds more.
For the largest piece, I left this on for about 1 and a half minutes. This gave a nice crunch to the seeds and ensured it was still raw in the middle. After cooking all the tuna I added the mushroom to the pan while slicing up the tuna. The tuna was then added to the plate.
Overall
I was in heaven from the first bite. The seared tuna had become soft with a nice crunch from the seeds and searing. The sauce added a nice salty balance with a gingery bite. I was surprised how each this was as it was something that I was always scared to cook. If you haven’t tried this already I highly recommend giving crusted seared tuna a go. Have a look at some other recipes online as there are heaps of variations for the crust.
If you’re after some dessert check out this ANZAC biscuit recipe: Anzac Day
