Grilled tuna salad with wasabi dressing

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 tablespoon Soy sauce (+ 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon Olive oil (+ 2 teaspoons)
1¼ pounds Fresh tuna steak
4 teaspoons Wasabi powder *
2 tablespoons Tahini * (sesame paste)
2 tablespoons Rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 Garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
7 ounces Alfalfa sprouts (2 cups)
7 ounces Trimmed enoki mushrooms *
½ pounds Young spinach, stemmed
2 tablespoons Slivered pickled ginger *

Directions

* Available at Asian Markets, well-stocked grocery stores and some health food markets.

(Note: In place of wasabi, you could use an equal amount of powdered dry mustard)

In a shallow glass dish, combine 1 T of the soy sauce and 1 t of the oil. Add the tuna and coat well. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, turning fish twice.

Light grill or preheat broiler. In small bowl, mix wasabi powder with 4 t of hot water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.

In another bowl, stir 2 T of warm water into the tahini. Stir in the wasabi paste, vinegar, mustard, sugar, garlic and the remaining 2 t soy sauce and 4 t oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Season the tuna with salt and pepper; grill or broil until crusty on the outside and rare within, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a plate to rest for a few minutes, then slice it against the grain ⅓ inch thick.

In large bowl, toss the alfalfa sprouts with the enoki mushrooms and all but 2 T of the dressing. Scatter spinach leaves on 4 large plates and arrange tuna on top. Drizzle on the remaining 2 T dressing. Mound the sprout salad on the tuna, scatter the pickled ginger on top and serve.

Reprinted from Food and Wine Magazine, July 1996.

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