Seared Tuna w/ Wasabi Pesto, Mango Puree and Sautéed Asparagus w/ Shitake Mushrooms
By Ben Wright
Posted: July 26, 2007

Eating healthy, tasty food is my favorite thing to do. As a career musician, I am often eating on the road, but cooking at home has proven a fun and financially feasible way to keep my digestive and creative juices flowing.

Here is a recipe I think I may have made up last night.

What you will need to serve 2 people:

1 Tuna steak 3/4lb-1lb
1 bunch of fresh asparagus
1 small container of fresh shitake mushrooms
1 small container of pignoli nuts (pine nuts)
1 tube prepared wasabi
1 ripe mango
Fresh ginger root
1 bunch of fresh basil
Fresh garlic
Fresh lime
Soy sauce
Sugar
Black pepper
Salt
Cayenne pepper
Cumin

I love sushi. I usually cook the tuna steak in this dish so it is still raw in the center, but you can cook it all the way through if you want.

Pick up a nice sized sushi grade tuna steak at the local fresh fish market. Ask the person at the counter if the fish is sushi grade. If they don't know or aren't sure, don't eat it raw! Trader Joe's sells a tasty, fresh-frozen alternative if you can't get sushi grade tuna steaks at the local grocer.

For the marinade:

Chop some fresh garlic and ginger. Place in a bowl with about a quarter cup of soy sauce, the juice of one lime, and a table spoon of sugar. Mix these ingredients together and pour over the tuna steak in a marinating dish. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or so, turning and basting once about half way through. While the tuna soaks up the delicious marinade, you can make the pesto.

For the pesto:

In a blender or Cuisinart combine your fresh basil leaves with a small handful of pignolis, a few table spoons of extra virgin olive oil, and some salt and black pepper. Blend. The consistency should be moist but not runny. You may need to add a bit of oil if your mixture seems dry. Spoon out into a small mixing bowl and mix in a small amount of wasabi. I do this, and most everything, by taste, so put in a little at first and taste it. The wasabi should give you a little "buzz" but
it should not overpower the taste of the basil! Cover, and
refrigerate.

Mango Puree:

Now peel and slice the juicy mango away from its pit and toss the fruit into the blender. Toss in a pinch of cumin and cayenne pepper. Blend lightly until smooth. Once again, the sweetness of the mango is what you want to highlight. The cumin and cayenne should add subtle hints of flavor. Start with a little, and add more if you need to. This is also really good with a little bit of plain yogurt for creaminess, but it's not a necessity. Try it both ways! Cover and refrigerate.

Asparagus and Shitakes:

Now we are ready to sauté some asparagus. I like to cut about and inch or two off the bottom of each spear, but you don't have to. In a fry pan, heat enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom, and toss in a chopped clove of garlic. Medium heat should do. You don't want to burn the garlic! Slice the shitake caps in thin pieces and toss them in the pan. Sauté these guys a few minutes until they are soft and then take them out of the pan and set aside. Add a little oil and toss in the asparagus spears. Sauté until slightly browned and still a little crisp. Perfectly cooked asparagus should "pop" when you bite into it, but be tender and delicious on the inside. If you overcook asparagus, it gets stringy and hard to eat, so be careful! A little salt and black pepper over the top does wonders!

Now for the tuna:

Take your steak out of the marinade and set it on a flat surface. I like to cover the outside of the tuna with a spice rub. In a small bowl combine black pepper, cumin, cayenne, a little salt, and rub the mixture over the top of the steak. Let it sit for a second so it sticks to the fish, then turn it over and do the same to the other side. I like to cook this fast and hot, so set a fry pan on med/high heat with a little oil to prevent sticking. When the pan is hot, set the steak in and cook for about 3 minutes for a two inch thick steak, less for a thinner cut, then turn over and do the same on the other side. Remove from the pan and set on a dry cutting board. Slice with a sharp knife against the grain into thin slices. This amount of cooking should leave the fish seared on the outside and raw in the middle. I like it this way. If you prefer to cook it all the way through, set the fry pan on a lower heat to start and cook for a minute or so longer on each side.

Plating:

Lay out the asparagus spears on one side of the plate and scoop the shitakes over the top. Arrange the slices of tuna on the other side and spoon some of the mango puree and the wasabi pesto on the side. It's more fun to eat if you have a bite with one sauce, then a bite with the other. More flavors to savor, you know?

This is great with a nice California Chardonnay, but also works with a very dry, peppery Pinot Noir.

Buen Provecho!

Copyright © 2007 Ben Wright