Tuna with Avocado Wasabi

 

We really liked Tuna. Tuna with Avocado-Wasabi Puree is a great preparation for Tuna. We started with White Asparagus. There is a short window when White Asparagus from France is available. We found a vendor: Four Star Seafood and Provisions, in San Francisco that ships the White Asparagus. It has a very different texture than Green Asparagus. The exterior is very thick and stringy and must be aggressively trimmed. The interior is very tender. Since we had to have Avocado for the Tuna, we decided to make Guacamole and Margaritas to start, perfect on hot summer night. We recommend the recipe. One fun culinary thing is since both Avocado and Wasabi are green in color, they blend in together perfectly, surprising you as scoop up the avocado with a delightful taste.

Tuna with Avocado-Wasabi Puree

The Japanese Grill

 

Here’s another popular preparation from Matsuri, Tadashi’s restaurant—rich, creamy avocado meets dense, intense tuna, with the wasabi and lime juice adding heat and bite. Use only sushi grade tuna for this recipe (yellowfin or bigeye [ahi] tuna are great choices) and perfectly ripe avocados. Allow the fish to come to room temperature before grilling, and grill quickly-—we like our tuna cooked rare, as we explain in the method. If you prefer, grill the fish for 3 minutes for medium-rare or 4 minutes for medium, but not more than that; if you over-cook tuna, it turns tough and rubbery

 

2       avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into small chunks

1       tablespoon wasabi

1       tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1       teaspoon salt

2       tablespoons chopped fresh chives (you can substitute finely chopped scallions)

½      cup Garlic-Soy Sauce
Marinade (page 103)

4       tuna steaks (about

2       pounds), about *3/4 inch thick

 

Add the avocados, wasabi, lime juice, salt, and chives to a bowl: mash the ingredients together with a fork; set aside.

 

Pour the garlic-spy sauce marinade into a baking dish or rimmed sheet pan. Lay the tuna steaks in the marinade and gently flip them 4 times until the fish is coated all over.

 

Preheat a grill to medium-hot. Brush the cooking grate clean and oil it well. Grill the tuna quickly, about 2 minutes, turning once. You want to just sear the surface and quickly caramelize the marinade. The tuna should be rare to almost raw inside. Remove from the grill, spoon the avocado puree ontop of the tuna, and serve Immediately.

Garlic-Soy Sauce Marinade

The Japanese Grill

 

When Tadashi arrived in America twenty-five years ago (to surf in Southern California, but that’s another story), he discovered American-style grilling with its charred, thick, juicy steaks in all their glory, something he never saw in Japan. He quickly fell in love with this fiery cooking and from that moment on, became, well, a grilling fanatic. But Tadashi also knew how much Japanese seasonings enhance the taste of grilled meat and fish. So he came up with this indispensable marinade to lavish an irresistible dose of savory, garlicky flavor to any red meat and dense-fleshed fish like tuna, salmon, mahi mahi, swordfish, and shark. Keep this go-to marinade handy in the fridge throughout the grilling season, just like Tadashi does.

 

½      cup soy sauce

8       cloves garlic, grated

¼      cup olive oil

2       teaspoons freshly
ground black pepper

 

Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, and black pepper in a small bowl.This marinade can keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Just mix again before using it.