Tuna Tataki with Spicy Pineapple & Sushi Rice

Once you realize that you can have rare ahi tuna without going out to a sushi restaurant, the second part of your life begins. At least this was the case for me - I wouldn't go near a rare ahi tuna recipe to save my life until very recently. I figured it was best left to the experts, but oh how wrong I was! I dare you to Google search "ahi tuna recipe" and find a single recipe that isn't served rare - it's quite difficult. Apparently, I'm just late to the party.

And I have to say, I am very pleased with myself for hopping on this bandwagon. Despite this being one of the easiest dishes I've ever made, it felt so impressive. This one definitely has that wow factor and resembles something that you would order at a gourmet restaurant, so you can smugly serve it to the snobs in your life who like to turn their noses up at everything.

The most difficult part of this recipe, in my opinion, is finding high quality ahi tuna steaks. I've actually stumbled upon some gorgeous ones in my local grocery store a couple of times now and they did not disappoint! The key is that the tuna you use must be high-grade, ahi (aka yellowfin) tuna and it must be fresh. Unless you know exactly where to buy this kind of tuna year round, I would save this recipe for when you are able to get your hands on some. If you get everything ready for this dish only to go out and hope that the tuna gods will bless you, you may well be disappointed (or maybe the tuna gods will be feeling benevolent and you will get lucky!)

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 15 mins

Marinating time: anywhere from 1hr – 24 hrs

Cook time: 23 mins (includes sushi rice)

What you need:

• 2-4 tuna steaks, approx 6-8oz each

• 2 tbsp sesame oil (for frying)

For sushi rice:

• 1 cup long grain white rice

• 1.5 cups water

• 1 tbsp honey

• 2 tbsp rice vinager

For sauce:

• 1 cup soya sauce

• 1 tbsp honey

• 3 tbsp grated ginger

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (or everything but the bagel seasoning works great here, if you have it on hand)

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• 4 tbsp chopped green onions

For spicy pineapple:

• ½ cup – 1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped into small pieces (¼ cup per tuna steak)

• ½ tbsp – 1 tbsp chili & garlic paste (½ tbsp per ½ cup of pineapple)

For additional toppings (optional)

• grated carrot (I used purple)

• sprouts or micro greens

• pickled ginger

• more sesame seeds

• sliced avocado & cucumbers would also make great additions to this dish!

What you do:

1. Make the sauce – whisk together all ingredients on the sauce list (soya sauce, honey, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, rice vinegar & green onions) until well combined. Set aside ½ of the sauce for drizzling/dipping at the end.

2. Use the remaining ½ of the sauce as a marinade. In a shallow bowl or freezer bag, coat the tuna steaks well with the sauce. Refrigerate for anywhere from 1hr to 24 hrs.

3. Make the sushi rice – cook 1 cup of long grain white rice per the package instructions. In a microwave safe cup or mug, combine the rice vinegar and honey and microwave for about 20 seconds until the honey is completely liquefied. Stir well. Once the rice is cooked and has set for about 5 mins, stir in the rice vinegar and honey mixture until well combined. Set aside.

4. While the rice is cooking, prepare the spicy pineapple by simply mixing together the pineapple and chili-garlic paste. Now is also a good time to prep any other toppings that you are using for this dish (ie grate the carrot, slice any other veggies, etc).

5. Sear the Tuna – heat a non-stick frying pan to medium high heat and add the sesame oil. Wait until the oil becomes very hot and is nearly smoking to add the tuna! For very rare tuna, sear each side for no longer than 1 min – I seared mine for approximately 1.5 mins per side. For medium-rare tuna sear for 2 mins per side, and about 3 mins per side for medium. When you order this in a restaurant, they typically sear it for no longer than 1 min per side. When the tuna is cooked, let it rest for 1-2 mins before slicing thinly against the grain.

6. Serve – divide the sushi rice between the plates, and then lay the sliced tuna onto each plate. Divide the spicy pineapple between the plates and top with desired toppings. Drizzle the remaining sauce directly over the tuna, or serve on the side in a small bowl for dipping. Enjoy!