Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna & Knockout Roses

Last fall, Bev cut her knock out roses way back and was afraid she had overdone it but they look like they loved it.

While we were on our recent RV rally, I ordered tuna (rare for the first time) for my dinner at the Switzerland Inn and thought it was delicious.  And while freezer diving recently, I noticed we had a couple of packages of frozen tuna so I decided to try and replicate the restaurant meal.  My tuna came from our trip last year to Joe Patti’s in Pensacola, FL and I know it’s Ahi but sure it’s not sushi grade but I’m pretending it is.  I found a recipe for “Sesame Crusted SearedTuna” on Sylvia’s “Feasting At Home” blog and it looked very much like the one from Little Switzerland so I used it and it is shown below, increased by 50%.  This was my meal from the rally which included pickled ginger and seaweed something.

Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna

Ingredients:

10– 16 ounces ahi tuna, thawed (my two pieces were 14 and 8 ounces)

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I just brushed on a coat of it)

2 tablespoons high heat oil for searing

5 tablespoons sesame seeds (I only had white)

1½ teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1½ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1½ teaspoon sugar (I omitted the sugar)

1½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Instructions:

1. Mix the Sesame Crust ingredients (last six) together in a small bowl.

2. Pat dry the ahi tuna with paper towels.

3. Place ahi tuna on a plate, coat all sides with soy sauce. This will help the sesame spice adhere to the tuna.

4. Generously sprinkle all sides of the ahi tuna with the sesame mix, pressing it down into the flesh. Coat the sides. Read through the rest of the directions before starting because the next part goes very quickly.

5. The goal here is to get a nice golden sear on all sides without cooking the ahi tuna all the way through. HOT PAN is key.

6. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, until very very hot. Place tongs, metal spatula and splatter guard (or lid) near the stove.  When the pan is hot a flick of water should sizzle loudly. Once the skillet is hot, turn the fan on high.

7. Add the oil and coat the pan and let it get hot. Carefully lay the tuna in the pan, pressing it down into the skillet with a metal spatula. Sear 45-60 seconds ( or longer)- checking the underneath by lifting one corner to see if it is golden. If golden, carefully flip. If not golden, turn the heat up.

8. Sear the other side, 60-90 seconds until golden.

9. Sear the long edges using tongs to hold it upright.

10. Place on a cutting board, blot if you like, then using a very sharp knife, thinly slice, and serve.

I sided it with some store-bought pickled ginger and a regular salad.

The Verdict:

Since Bev is not a fan of tuna that is not from a can, I fixed this for Cindy and me while Bev ate some darn good leftovers.  We tuna eaters both thought it was very good except mine was too salty.  So next time I will S&P the tuna steaks separately and not put it in with the other ingredients – you would think I would know better by now.

COLOR:  One obvious difference between mine and the restaurant's is the color of the flesh so I did a little research and discovered that for most tuna "Bright red or pink tuna means it has been gassed. In its natural state, fresh tuna is dark red, almost maroon, sometimes even chocolatey looking."  This made me feel better as I knew I had purchased good grade, fresh, tuna but is definitely not as pretty.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

05/16/22 event date