The Tuna Fish, it’s a cornerstone to cuisine in Japan, and it also can vex our brightest celebrities at times.
Tuna has always interested me (I know I need to get other interests besides food, but I digress.), I feel most Americans including myself had their first experience with tuna out of a can. Growing up, the tuna fish sandwich was a staple of my lunches, much to my displeasure sometimes. Canned tuna always smelled funny and if you didn’t drain the juice you just had a mushy mess on your hands by the time you hit Social Studies.
As an adult, I’ve pretty much sworn off canned tuna for a variety of reasons. One, the BPA liner in cans is just not healthy for you. Two, canned tuna smells and stinks up your kitchen for not a huge pay off. And finally because I hate draining the tuna juice, huge pain.
But Ahi Tuna, now that is a different story. Ahi Tuna or Yellow Fin Tuna is widely used in sushi and is usually what you find in your typical sushi restaurant. It has a great flavor and if it’s fresh it won’t stink up your house. It makes for a great(and quick) meal. It’s best seared and cooked rare.
I received some Ahi Tuna from Friends and Farms a little while back, so I had frozen it. I decided to grill it up with a summer salad I’ve featured in the past.
Ingredients
1 Ahi Tuna Steak/Filet
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Mayo
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tsp. of Paprika
Set up your grill so it’s nice and hot, the tuna prep will only take about 20 minutes. It doesn’t hurt to grease your grates so the tuna doesn’t stick as much. I just dip a rag in some vegetable oil and rub it onto the grates.
In a mixing bowl, mix together your salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then put in your tuna steaks, coat them so the salt and pepper coat the steak evenly. Let the tuna rest for about 10 to 15 minutes, this will let the steaks get to room temperature. By doing so, this will allow your steak to cook evenly and will allow moisture to spread normally through the steak.
Once the grill is hot, place your tuna steaks on the grill. This is where it gets tricky (and some people prefer their tuna steak to be cooked more, I tend to think rare is the best way to eat your tuna, but that’s up to you) Once the tuna begins to turn a tannish beige color, flip the tuna onto its other side. Once that side turns the same color, take it off the grill. The steak should be tan all around but pink in the middle.
I like to serve the tuna with a little mayo based sauce. To make this just mix the mayo, lemon juice and paprika. This will give the tuna a little more flavor.
Serve with a Shirazi Salad and enjoy!
