Lemon Grass-Crusted Tuna with Cucumber Salsa and Peanut Sauce
This delicious entree is made with the freshest tuna you can find and cooked rare. I created this recipe when I was the Chef aboard a 44-foot sailboat in Tahiti. Red tuna was cheaper than chicken at the local supermarketsand it couldn't have been fresher. At home, I've used previously frozen ahi tuna and have been quite happy with it. In culinary school, I learned that sushi grade tuna is often frozen to -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days to kill parasites. So, turns out, frozen is better in this case. Make sure to have everything prepped along with any side dishes and waiting before you begin to cook the tuna. Then it is super fast and serve immediately. This recipe makes a generous portion of peanut sauce, which you can use for other recipes or freeze if your group doesn't find a zillion things to put it on.
Servings: 4
Calories: 675kcal
Ingredients
- 1 stalk lemon grass minced or 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 4 6 oz. portions ahi tuna steaks
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cucumber Salsa
- 1 cucumber peeled and diced
- 1 lime zest done before juicing and juice
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger-root; fresh; minced
- 1/2 jalapeno chile minced (remove seeds if you prefer)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil or cilantro chopped
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Peanut Sauce
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Instructions
- Slice lemon grass stalk into thin slices like a green onion. Then place in a food processor to mince the rounds as finely as possible or do so with a very sharp Chef's knife.
- On a plate drizzle each tuna steak with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press the minced lemon grass into the top and bottom of each fish steak. Set aside
- Prepare Cucumber Salsa: Dice cucumber and place in a bowl. Zest a lime and add to the bowl along with the lime juice. Mince garlic, ginger and jalapeno in a food processor. Add to cucumbers and mix along with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and the basil and salt. Set aside.
- Make Peanut Sauce: Place peanut butter, coconut, brown sugar, soy sauce and curry powder in a small bowl or heat in a small saucepan. Mix together until smooth.
- Make sure everything is ready before cooking the tuna. Heat a dry skillet on high for a couple minutes or until hot. Add the tuna steaks. You should hear a sizzle. Cook for one minute. Flip over and cook for another minute. Cook longer if you do not want your tuna steaks rare. Remove to a platter and begin plating up.
- To serve, spread several spoonfuls of peanut sauce on the plate, top with the ahi steak and spoon some cucumber salsa along the side.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
Nutrition
Calories: 675kcal