A few months ago, Joe and I ate dinner at 360 Bistro where I had a tuna steak that changed my entire perception of tuna. It was a deep ruby red on the inside and tasted rich and creamy on my tongue. It also came with this very complex sauce with honey, cilantro, and wasabi in it. Since then, I have longed to make something similar in my own kitchen. While this aioli doesn't have the depth of the 360 Bistro sauce, it contributes some heat and creaminess to the tuna.
Another "ah-ha" moment came when Joe and I realized that we could put the cast iron pan on the grill and cook things that way. It gets hotter than my flat-top electric stove and doesn't heat up the kitchen. Since we wanted the pan super-hot for the tuna, we also tossed some baby bok choy brushed with olive oil onto the grates and toasted a few whole wheat baguette slices on the top rack. Active cooking time for the whole meal? Approximately 5-6 minutes. And the tuna was just the way I remember it. This would make an impressive special occasion dinner or just a healthy, quick weeknight dinner, particularly when tuna steaks are on sale!
Seared Tuna with Wasabi Aioli
source: Bakin' and Eggs
Yields 2 servings
Ingredients
Soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil (or sesame or canola oil)
1 tbsp wasabi powder (found in the Asian/international section of grocery store)
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Preparation
Place tuna steaks in a dish and pour a couple tablespoons of soy sauce over them. Let marinate for about 30 minutes at room temperature, turning once.
Mix together wasabi powder and water and then whisk in mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Pat tuna dry. Heat a medium skillet to medium-high. Heat oil. Sear tuna steaks for about 45 seconds per side for rare.
Serve with wasabi aoli.
