Sesame Crusted Tuna With Watercress Salad
Posted: January 10, 2009 at 12:19 am
Serves 4
Ingredients
Tuna
- 4 150g fresh tuna steaks, about 2.5cm thick
- 6-8 tbsp soy sauce
- 4-5 tbsp wasabi paste
- 60g sesame seeds (or mix of white and black sesame seeds, if you like)
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 100g watercress
- 50g bean sprouts
- 100g mooli (white radish)
- 3 spring onions, trimmed
- Small bunch of coriander leaves
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Dressing
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
Method: How to make sesame-crusted tuna
1. Pat the tuna steaks dry with kitchen paper. Pour the soy sauce into a wide, shallow dish. Dip the tuna fillets into the soy sauce and coat thoroughly. Next, using a pastry brush, brush over some wasabi paste so that it covers the fillets. Tip the sesame seeds onto a flat plate with a little salt and pepper. Roll the tuna fillets through the seeds and coat them evenly. Chill until ready to cook.
2. To prepare the salad, wash and pick the watercress and bean sprouts. Peel the mooli and pare into thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler or mandolin. Finely slice the spring onions on the diagonal. Place all the vegetables into a large bowl and toss lightly to mix. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and use two-thirds to dress the salad. .
3. Heat a wide frying pan with a little oil until hot – you should be able to feel the heat rising from the pan. Sear the tuna steaks for approximately 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a warm plate and leave to cool slightly.
4. Thickly slice the steaks into 2-3 generous portions. Divide the salad amongst the plates in four neat piles. Arrange the tuna slices on top and spoon over a little extra dressing. Garnish with a scattering of coriander leaves and sesame seeds. Serve immediately