Ahi Tuna

And here's the other recipe we're trying for our special Friday-at-home dinner. It turned out to be quite delicious. (The first one was Thai Shrimp Soup.)

Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna with Soy-Ginger-Lime Sauce

Pickled Cucumbers-

• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes dried
• 2 6-inch Japanese cucumbers (I just used a regular one, but I did de-seed it.)

Soy Ginger Lime Sauce-

• 2 teaspoons ginger minced
• 6 tablespoons lime juice about 2 limes
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce plus 2 more teaspoons
• 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes dried

Tuna-

• 20 ounces ahi tuna (four 5-oz pieces) about 1 inch thick
• 8 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil or vegetable oil

Pickled Cucumbers-

1. Combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt and chili flakes in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat. Add cucumber slices and stir. Let rest 10 minutes, then transfer cucumber to a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Soy Ginger Lime Sauce-

1. Whisk together all soy ginger lime sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.

Tuna-

1. Place sesame seeds on a plate. Pat dry tuna steaks with a paper towel to remove excess water. Dredge and press tuna in sesame seeds, coating the tuna evenly. Sprinkle with more seeds as needed.
2. In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until just smoking. Frying two portions at a time, arrange the tuna steaks in the pan (do not overcrowd) and cook until the sesame seeds start to turn golden underneath, about 1 minute. Turn the tuna over and cook for 1 minute. Sear the edges of the tuna for 15 seconds on each edge. Transfer the tuna to a plate with a paper towel, patting to soak gently up any excess oil. Repeat with remaining tuna portions. Transfer tuna to a cutting board and cut ¼-inch thick slices. Arrange tuna on individual serving plates or bowls. Serve with pickled cucumbers and soy ginger lime sauce.

The leftovers were great as a main-dish salad!