Asian-Inspired Fresh Catch

My attempt at staying organized and saving money involves frequently checking the Harris Teeter Weekly Ad. Todd and I love to eat fish and produce, and I do my best to buy what is on sale, because that typically means that it is in season and/or caught fresh. Last week at the HT, wild caught yellowfin tuna steaks were on sale, so of course I had a meal that revolved around them. I found this tuna recipe online, and it is one from Bon Appetit. The cucumber salad is from Gourmet. I did, of course, make some adjustments.
Menu: Wasabi-Soy Marinated Seared Tuna
Sesame Green Beans
Asian Cucumber Ribbon Salad

Wasabi-Soy Marinated Seared Tuna
Yield: Makes 6 servings

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon wasabi powder

(look for this in the ethnic food aisle at the grocery store)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 t. toasted sesame seeds

4 6-ounce tuna steaks (each about 3/4 inch thick)

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 T. (packed) brown sugar

(optional – I left this out, and was still quite pleased. The original recipe called for 1/4

cup brown sugar, which I think would be much too sweet)

Boil a pot of water, and blanch green beans for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain well, and put into ice water to shock them and stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain and set aside.

Mix soy sauce, wasabi powder, toasted sesame seeds and garlic powder in 8x8x2-inch glass dish. Add tuna; turn several times to coat, and let marinate for 15 minutes.

Heat sesame oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove tuna from marinade; reserve marinade. Sprinkle tuna on all sides with ground black pepper. Add tuna to skillet and sear on each side, about 2 minutes each, depending on the temperature you desire – this time will keep it quite rare, but it can be cooked more if you desire your tuna fully cooked. Transfer tuna to cutting board and keep warm with aluminum foil.

Add green beans, sugar and reserved marinade to skillet. Cook until sauce is reduced enough to coat beans, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes.

(Look for wasabi powder and sesame oil in the Asian foods section of the supermarket. )

Asian Cucumber Ribbon Salad
Yield: Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 ½ cucumbers, halved crosswise (could also use English cucumbers)

½ red onion, sliced very thin

Bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then cool to room temperature. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil.

Cut cucumber lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick ribbons. (A mandolin would be great for this type of cut, but since most people do not own them, a sharp chef’s knife works well, also). Toss cucumber and onion with dressing and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*Do not let dressed cucumber salad stand more than 20 minutes before serving, or it will become soggy.

Assembly:
Cut the tuna into 2 pieces, or into strips. This shows the inside of the tuna, and is more representative of how seared tuna is typically served. Using tongs, place beans on the plate, all facing the same direction. Place pieces of tuna on top, and garnish with brunoise cucumber. Place the cucumber ribbon salad beside the tuna on the plate, and garnish with sesame seeds.
Review:
I did not have my skillet quite hot enough when I first put my tuna down. Next time I would let the oil be warmer, and sear it more quickly so that it would be even more rare inside. I am also going to try the cucumber salad dressing with Splenda instead of sugar, and skip the boiling step.
Health Benefits:
The sodium in this meal is minimal, as is the sugar, particularly because starch is absent from the menu. The green beans are cooked in a way that preserves most of the vegetable’s nutrients. The tuna is a wonderful protein to choose, and especially in this case, because it was wild-caught. This serving size of tuna contains around 175 calories, only 1.5 g. fat, and around 35 g protein!