Ingredients
Seared Tuna:
¾ cup sesame seeds (mixed white and black seeds, if possible)
4 (6 oz.) sushi-quality fresh tuna steaks, 1" thick
salt & fresh-ground pepper
2 tblsp. olive oil
Wasabi Dipping Sauce:
2 scallions, chopped fine
1 tsp. coriander chopped fine
2 tblsp. lime juice
3 tblsp. soy sauce
1 ½ tblsp. wasabi powder
6 tblsp. butter
Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce:
3 tblsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper flakes
½ cup chicken broth (canned or from cubes okay!)
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 scallion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Preparation
First make the Dipping Sauces. For the Spicy Soy sauce, combine the soy sauce, sugar, cayenne pepper, and chicken broth in a bowl. Heat the sesame oil and saute chopped scallion and garlic for one minute. Turn heat down to low, add the soy sauce mixture, and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. For the Wasabi Dipping Sauce, Stir together all ingredients except the butter, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and whisk in the butter.
Then wash & pat dry tuna steaks. Season with salt & pepper and roll them in sesame seeds to coat. In a non-stick pan, heat the oil until very hot (smoking), add tuna steaks and “saear” tuna, cooking only until the white sesame seeds start to turn gold, about one minute. While you can cook them longer, don’t overcook! Carefully turn the tuna steaks and cook them for another minute. Transfer tuna steaks to a cutting board and cut them into appetizer-sized cubes. Spear with toothpicks and serve immediately with dipping sauces.
