I don't cook fish. It's not that I dislike fish - I love fish. It's the fear of walking that very thin line between undercooked and overcooked. But recently, I have been testing the waters. And there's no better way to conquer a food I'm afraid of than with the support of my beloved cast iron griddle. I sliced the tuna into 1/4" slices and cooked it for about 2 minutes on each side on a very hot griddle. It came out perfect!
Soon my brain was flipping through my mental rolodex of flavor pairings and preparations. So what pairs well with tuna? The bright flavors of lime and chilies. The sweet crunch of carrots and green onion. And the distinctive flavor of black vinegar. And sesame! Don't forget that! Oh, what about ginger? And that was how this laundry list of ingredients turned into an actually delicious meal.
Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
2 medium ahi tuna steaks, sliced in 1/4" slices
1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
5-7 green onions, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tsp fresh lime zest
juice of half a lime
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tbsp. black vinegar
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
rice noodles or angel hair pasta, cooked al dente
1 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp hot chili oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
Toss sliced tuna with 1 tbsp. sesame oil and soy sauce.
Heat cast iron skillet, griddle or sauté pan over high heat. Sear tuna, about 2 minutes on each side.
In large sauté pan, heat remaining oil, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, lime juice and lime zest over medium heat. Add stock and black vinegar and simmer about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add noodles, carrot, green onion, cilantro and tuna. Toss to coat and serve hot.
It's time to eat!
