Homemade Seared Japanese Sushi Tuna

 

I'm not a seafood fan by any means. In fact, I can't really stand most iterations of it. However, my girl does, and so quite frequently, I'll make her something strictly pleasing to her taste buds.

Today, that something was seared Japanese Sushi Tuna.

This is a quality cut of meat, and being sushi grade, this is literally ready as is to be sliced and eaten raw. If you're a connoisseur of that kind of eating, then this would probably also be really good to you. However, I'm going to zhuzh it up. Let me show you.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Freshly Grated Ginger
Furikake (enough to cover the tuna)

Start by peeling and grating up your ginger. You could technically use a pre-ground powder ginger, but again, this is a quality cut of meat, so I'm going to treat it with a certain level of respect.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and add the ginger to it. Set it aside, and let it sit for about ten minutes.

Spoon the mixture over the tuna, and flip it over, repeating to coat all four sides. Let this sit for another ten minutes to allow the fish some time to absorb some flavor.

On a flat surface, sprinkle some of your furikake to provide a bottom base. Basically, what you want to have happen is that when you put your piece of fish down on it that it immediately adheres, and you don't lose any of that soy sauce mixture to the surface.

You want to reserve that liquid, as well as the ginger, so gently remove the tuna, making sure the brush off a bit of that ginger as you do.

Side Note: What is furikake?

Excellent question.

It's a popular condiment used to season a variety of things, such as rice, vegetables or fish. It usually contains a mixture of dried fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and MSG. This can be readily found at Asian markets, and a popular brand is Pokekake.

With your furikake in hand, sprinkle a light layer on each side of the fish, gently pressing it down, making sure to also hit both ends.

I'm going to let the meat sit a moment while I focus on my wasabi.

Sure, you can cut to the chase and buy wasabi pre-made in most grocery stores. Or, you can go for the homemade version. Not only is it fresher, but packs one heck of a punch when compared to those prepackaged versions.

Simply take five tablespoons of the powder, and add three tablespoons of water to it. I use spring water, because I want a clean flavor, and you won't get that from most tap water.

Using a rubber spatula, mix and press the water and powder together. You may be tempted to add more water, but don't. Simply keep pressing everything together with the spatula to blend it all into a soft paste.

This is ready as is, but if you flip that bowl over and let the wasabi sit, it will trap gasses, and draw out more heat.

When finished, roll it into a ball, and seal it in plastic wrap to stay soft.

In a medium size frying pan, add a small dollop of sesame oil, and heat it over medium / high heat. As it gets hot, move it around the pan to coat the bottom. You literally want just enough oil to have a shimmer on the pan.

Add your tuna to the pan, and sear each side, making sure to also hit the two ends. This should take no more than thirty to sixty seconds. You're looking for fish to turn brown no more than one centimeter before flipping it. The goal is seared, but raw. Of course, you could cook it to whatever temp you like.

Since I was simply searing it, the quick cook time was not a conducive scenario to take additional photos.

When you've done all sides, and the two ends, remove the fish from the pan, and let it rest.

Turn your heat down to medium, and add your reserved soy sauce mixture, and stir it frequently until it thickens. This will not take long.

I served this over a piece of seaweed, with a side of sticky rice, which I sprinkled with more furikake. This was accompanied by some pickled ginger, and of course, the wasabi I made. The sauce is spooned over the fish, but could also be left on the side, or spooned onto the rice..

Again, fish ain't my thing, so this certainly wasn't something I dove into. My girl on the other hand jumped right in, and enjoyed it down to the last bite.

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