Seared Ahi Tuna

I haven't made seared tuna in forever...high school to be exact.  I used to absolutely love it and somehow just forgot about it and stopped making it.  My roommate, Lee, loves it as well.  While wandering around Central Market together we decided on tuna.  Although not the cheapest fish at the counter, it's definitely worth it.  Make sure to get sushi-grade if you want it seared and pink in the middle (not sure why you would want it any other way).  I think we got about 1.5 lbs for 3 people...it definitely could have fed 4.  We all went back for seconds and still had some leftover.  Just ask your fishmonger (that's what he's called) how much you need for the number of people you're serving.  

Ingredients:

-1.5 lbs. of sushi-grade Tuna

-1 lemon

-Black and/or White Sesame Seeds (we used Eden Shake seasoning blend)

-salt and pepper

-2 Tbsp olive oil

First, rinse your tuna and pat dry.  Then squeeze the juice of one lemon on the piece(s).  Rub in the juice a bit. 

Season both sides of the tuna steaks with salt, pepper and the sesame seeds or Eden Shake

In a skillet heat the olive oil on high heat.  Make sure not to heat the pan first then add the oil...it will start a grease fire (which we did the first time around) and if you've never done that, it's REALLY scary.  

Anyway, once the olive oil starts to pop just a bit it's ready.  You can also test this by getting your finger wet under water and flicking it on the oil...if it pops, it's ready.  Place your tuna steak in the skillet and start the time for 1.5 minutes (90 seconds for those of you mathematically challenged).  We couldn't find our timer so Lee actually counted...it worked!

After the 90 seconds, carefully flip with tongs.  Be careful, the oil is very hot and is probably popping by this point.  Sear on the second side for 60-90 seconds.  We did more like a minute because we did not want to over-cook this pricy fish.  This just depends on how you like it. 

Pull the tuna out of the skillet and let it rest for about a minute on a cutting board.  Thinly slice the tuna and serve with optional lemon wedges, soy sauce and/or wasabi.  I made two side-dishes to go along with the tuna: Easy Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Broccolini (blog posts coming soon!!)

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