How much of life is experienced as “happy accidents”? I know from personal experience “The Plan” rarely turns out as per what my mind has imagined, and mostly causes disappointment. But sometimes on a rare occasion, in a magically, mediocre place, or situation, I have an experience that takes away the jaded, ambivalence that usually robs me of joy. Recently, I have had a few of these and it is always bittersweet, which isn’t a bad feeling, one of my favorites actually because it helps me put things into perspective. What does this have to do with tuna? Well everything and nothing really, but I was at the store the other shopping for something totally unrelated, I found some beautiful wild caught, ahi, the piece I chose was about 1.5# and about two inches thick, and when I saw it I knew what its destiny would be….sesame crusted ahi. Continue reading “Sesame crusted Ahi”
Grilled tuna steak with mango salsa
Summer is here! With the season in full swing what is better then a grilled fish recipe? A grilled fish recipe with mango salsa of course! This is one of my favorite recipes of all time and I have been making it for several years, it’s light, tasty, and colorful and perfect if you are having guests over. I made this back in the summer of 2009 for a party with some co-workers and friends at my friend Adam’s house. That was an awesome summer and I have many a great memory from that time of life, so today I share with you a delicious, and easy fish recipe that has a great deal of nostalgia associated with it.
You will need:
4 Tuna steak 4-6 oz each
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Season your fish with salt, pepper and garlic then lightly oil each fillet, over medium high heat on a grill or grill pan, cook fish for about 3-4 minutes on each side (mid rare). Set aside.
Salsa:
2 small mangos or 1 large, chopped into small dice
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1 jalepeno, diced small
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Mix ingredients together, can be made the day before. Serve on top of fish fillets and serve with lime wedges. The perfect dish for hot summer nights.
Greek Style rock fish
“Plaki” is a dish that is usually eaten around Easter, it is a great family style dish that is full of health benefits. As a kid I remember eating many different varieties of this dish and always loved it. I served mine with Greek lemon rice, using brown instead of white rice, and served sauteed spinach with lemon juice and olive oil on the side. You can use a variety of different firm fleshed white fish, halibut, snapper, cod, bass, I happened to find wild caught rock fish for a great price, it is a mild fish in the bass family. This dish is easy and great if you are cooking for a crowd as all the prep can be done beforehand.
2 lbs rock fish fillets
1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 dry white wine
2 tbsp capers
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375, in a large casserole place enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of pan….add fillets seasoned with salt and pepper, and lemon juice, place in fridge till done with sauce. In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic, saute till translucent, add wine, tomatoes (crush them by hand), spices, capers, and salt, pep to taste. Simmer 15 minutes, pour over fish, bake 25 minutes till fish is flaky. Serve with side dish of choice, great with spinach. Serves 4.