Pan Seared Ahi Tuna with Wasabi, Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime

 I don't cook fish very often, because I don't like fish that tastes like fish, and don't like the smell that goes with cooking it.  My hubby loves it though, and is crazy about seared tuna.  Our oldest son got home today from a deep sea fishing trip, and told us to come over to his house and pick up some Yellow-fin (Ahi) Tuna, Red Snapper, and Mahi-Mahi.  He caught it yesterday in the Gulf of Mexico, out from Gulf Shores, Alabama.  He brought home over 100# of fillets, so I decided to try my hand at pan seared tuna.  I adapted a recipe by Tyler Florence, and it turned out well, and was very tasty.  I served it with a wasabi dipping sauce, and a salad with a wasabi vinaigrette.  The hubby was very excited about making this dish...so much so that he put the tuna on the grill before it was hot enough, and cooked it a bit too long!  Bless his heart.  The presentation is not so pretty, because he was in such a hurry to eat the tuna.  In the end, none of that mattered, because it was really delicious.  Despite all the drama, here it is. ;)

Dipping sauce:
*Make this first to let flavors develop
1/2 C water
3-4 tsp wasabi paste (adjust for desired heat)
1/3 C soy sauce
2 TBS peanut oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
pinch of sugar
Whisk all ingredients together, adjust wasabi to suit your taste, and set sauce aside

Ingredients for fish and salad:

1 TBS fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

• 1 tsp. jalapeno, seeded, and finely chopped (more if you like it spicy)
• 1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 TBS fresh lime juice
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 2 thinly sliced green onions
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 (6-ounce) blocks sushi-quality tuna
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced
•  ripe tomato slices
• Mixed salad greens
• English cucumber
• Olive oil to coast tuna
• Salt and pepper
• Pickled ginger
• 
  
• Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, onion, soy sauce, sugar, and olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated; set vinaigrette aside.

Put mixed greens on serving plates, place sliced tomato and avocado next to the greens, add thinly sliced cucumber.  Place dipping sauce on the plate in a small dipping bowl.

Put a skillet, or cast iron griddle, over medium-high heat. Rub tuna with olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper.  Lightly oil the pan with olive oil. Lay the tuna in the pan, and sear 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Serve the seared tuna with the salad, sliced avocado, tomato and cucumbers and Sprinkle a small amount of the remaining cilantro over vegetables, and drizzle the wasabi vinaigrette  over the whole dish.  Add some pickled ginger to the plate, and serve immediately.

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