PAN-SEARED TUNA STEAKS WITH SESAME SEED CRUST AND SCALLION WASABI SAUCE (for four)

½ cup water

4 tablespoons wasabi powder

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon shao xing rice wine or dry Sherry

1-½ teaspoons oriental sesame oil

1-½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger

4 green onions, very thinly sliced

2 sushi-grade, ahi tuna steaks, 1-½ to 2 inches thick

¼ cup black sesame seeds

½ cup white sesame seeds

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into matchstick strips

½ cup radish sprouts

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1. Whisk ½ cup water and wasabi powder in medium bowl to form a smooth paste. Whisk in soy sauce, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, rice wine or Sherry, sesame oil and ginger.  Stir in green onions and set aside.

2. In a shallow dish, combine black and white sesame seeds and stir to mix. Season tuna with salt and pepper and dredge in sesame seeds, coating evenly.

3. Brush a heavy large skillet with remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil and heat it until it is very hot and smoking.  Grill in hot pan, turning once, until the surface is seared but the interior is still uncooked, no more than 1 minute per side for rare.

4. Spoon cucumber onto the center of plates and top with tuna, sliced ¼ inch thick. Spoon sauce around and garnish with radish sprouts.

 

adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, June, 1998