This Monday, the 3rd of September is Labor Day here in the U.S. and people all over will be firing up their grills and filling coolers full of beer. But instead of sticking to the old favorites like burgers and hot dogs, why not try grilling some fish. It's fast, healthy and there's so many varieties to choose from like.....these seared ahi tuna steaks!
I was torn between chopping them up and making a patty or keeping them as a whole piece. I consulted with one of my top testers and she told me if it gets chopped up it would be a burger, but if I kept it whole then I'd have to call it a sandwich. I really didn't feel good about chopping up such a nice piece of fish, salmon I'd have no problem with but this was like an aquatic version of filet mignon and I'd never grind that up for a burger!
I marinated the tuna in a blend of sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger for about 40-45 minutes, no more or the flavor will take over the fish.Before I make something like a burger or a sandwich, I try to picture it in my head (crazy?) or even sometimes I'll draw a quick picture of it on a post-it (crazier?) but it has to be balanced and also easy to eat.
In almost every sandwich I make there will be some sort of cheese, but this time I decided to skip the cheese layer and replace it with a couple of fried won ton's and some sauteed chanterelle mushrooms. Of course there's nothing worse than a dry sandwich so my base spread was a wasabi mayonnaise. My sandwich was nearly complete but it lacked some color so I topped the whole she-bang of with some clover and radish sprouts.
Lets not forget the tuna...I dipped both sides in some toasted sesame seeds and then seared them over a ridiculously high heat for about a minute and a half each side. Tuna has to be eaten with a raw center to appreciate it's texture and flavor so get the best you can. I look for brighter pieces of fish, almost crimson in color as I believe the older it gets the darker it becomes.
