Sesame Seared Tuna

Usually I am a big believer of the too many cooks in the kitchen mentality, but while preparing for Seder the other night, it was fun and efficient working as a team. My brother made the guacamole, my dad coated the tuna and I was in charge of plating. I enjoyed playing restaurant,

setting up an assembly line for each appetizer dish and decorating each one to my heart’s content.

While we usually make everything from scratch, we did go to our regular deli for a large tub of delicious cucumber salad–a tangy, refreshing vinegar based side that is the perfect accent to the fish. Forkfuls of creamy guac and a slight punch of Asian-inspired heat from wasabi-horseradish sauce complement the nutty sesame crust, making this taste like restaurant quality.

When it’s not Passover, we serve this with soy sauce and pickled ginger, although we were able to find a stir fry sauce that was meant for the holiday and happened to be delicious! It’s our sophisticated interpretation of the traditional gefilte fish (which my dad refers to as ‘Jewish spam’) that’s typically served to start off these meals!

The measurements below are not specific because it’s really up to whatever size fillets you choose to purchase. Use your judgement–a drizzle of sesame oil here, a layer of sesame seeds there. I trust you my friends!

Ingredients:

Tuna fillets

Sesame oil

Black and white sesame seeds (only white are pictured here, but we usually use both!)

For plating:

Cucumber salad

Guacamole

A drizzle of wasabi horseradish sauce

Soy or teriyaki sauce (optional)

Pickled ginger (optional)

Instructions:

Rub both sides of tuna with sesame oil.

Evenly coat each side with sesame seeds.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a skillet and sear tuna on both sides to your desired doneness. (For sushi grade, a quick flash in the pan will suffice, cooking the outside and leaving the center bright red. The longer it sizzles, the more cooked through it will be–just like a burger.)

Using a very sharp knife, cut into strips following the grain.

Serve with cucumber salad, guacamole, wasabi sauce, pickled ginger and soy or terryaki.

Eat and enjoy whatever holiday you are celebrating tonight!