Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

What better way to celebrate something special than with a healthy, flavorful dish like this Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing?

This dish was inspired by a seared tuna salad I recently enjoyed with my friend Michelle Patterson at a lovely restaurant called Artin's located at The Shops at Legacy in Plano, Texas. Artin's has an upscale yet warm and inviting atmosphere and elegant, creative menu. If you happen to be in Plano, make plans to have a meal at Artin's - lunch or dinner - you can't go wrong.

Here's my version of the dish I enjoyed (in case you haven't noticed, I like spicy..so my version has a hint of that):

Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

Serves 2 with extra dressing for dipping

Ingredients:

8 ounce wild caught fresh Ahi tuna steak (I used Hawaiian Bigeye, ask your fishmonger for tuna that is suitable to eat raw)

1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Himalayan pink salt

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Salad:

4 cups organic mixed greens (I used a blend of spring greens and baby spinach)

2-3 Tablespoons shelled edamame (leave out for Paleo)

3 Tablespoons diced red bell pepper (optional)

fresh lime (optional)

Dressing/Dipping Sauce (makes 1/2 cup):

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon O Ginger Rice Vinegar (O Yuzu Rice Vinegar would work well, too, or any rice vinegar)

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons tahini paste (I used Artisana Organic Tahini that I found at Whole Foods, but any tahini paste will work)

1 Tablespoon honey

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger (less than a one inch knob)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Sesame Ginger Dressing

Whisk all the dressing/dipping sauce ingredients together until emulsified and well blended.

My daughter Alexa got me this really cool dressing mixer for Christmas which made easy work of emulsifying the dressing:

emulstir by chef'n available at Williams Sonoma

Sesame Ginger Dressing

Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna

Sprinkle both sides of the tuna steak with kosher salt.

beautiful Hawaiian Bigeye Ahi Tuna

In small bowl mix the black and regular sesame seeds and crushed red pepper together.

sesame seed, crushed red pepper mix

Using your hands, coat both sides of the tuna with the sesame seed mixture. Pat and press to be sure it's well coated.

coated and ready to sear

Heat non-stick skillet to high and add canola oil to coat bottom of pan. Skillet should be extremely hot, then place sesame-coated tuna in pan and allow to sear for 45 seconds then flip and sear another 45 seconds.

perfectly seared on the outside and rare on the inside

Remove from pan and slice.

Pulling it all together:

Mix ingredients for salad (mixed greens, edamame, bell pepper) together and toss with a small amount of dressing. Arrange on plates and top with the sliced tuna. Serve with extra dressing on the side to dip your tuna in.

I also like to drizzle fresh squeezed lime juice on my salad but be careful not to do this until just as you are eating or the tuna will begin to turn white from the acid of the lime juice. It won't hurt anything if it turns white, it's purely an aesthetic thing.

Spicy Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

Wine Pairing


2009 Pazo Serantellos Albarino
$12 at Whole Foods


This Spanish Albarino is crisp, light and a little on the dry side, but with a hint of citrus. It pairs nicely with the spicy fresh tuna.