Asian-Inspired Blackened Ahi Tuna #recipe by @LeslieKarst

This recipe is for one of the dishes I prepared for the celebrated Ruth Bader Ginsburg, detailed in my new memoir, JUSTICE IS SERVED: A TALE OF SCALLOPS, THE LAW, and COOKING FOR RBG. 

 

It's my riff on the blackened redfish invented back in the 1980s by Chef Paul Prudhomme, but with an Asian twist. And it's super easy to prepare! Don’t be put off by the fact that the recipe calls for the ahi to be basically raw in the center—it’s perfectly safe, as long as you buy sushi-grade tuna, and will not be nearly as tender and flavorful if you overcook the fish.

 

Asian-Inflected Blacked Ahi Tuna

(serves 6)

Ingredients

4 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon wasabi powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

3 lbs. sushi-grade ahi tuna (or enough for 6 large or 12 small steaks, once blood line is removed)

4 teaspoons sesame oil 

 

Directions

Remove the blood line—the dark red part of the fish running down the center, which may also have bones—from the ahi, and discard. Slice the fish into 6 large or 12 small steaks, at least 1” thick. 

 

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Pat the ahi steaks dry, and sprinkle both sides with half of the dry rub. Set steaks aside until time to fry the fish. 

 

Right before frying them, sprinkle the rest of the dry rub on both sides of the ahi steaks.

Heat two skillets (preferably cast iron) over high heat till very hot, then add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil to each pan. Once the oil is sizzling, lay the the ahi gently in the pans, making sure not to crowd them. As soon as they are dark brown (i.e., “blackened), flip them over and turn off the heat. 

 

Once the bottom sides start to brown, remove the fish from pan to a plate with a paper towel. The idea is to sear and brown the fish as quickly as possible, so that it’s still pretty much raw—though warm—in the middle. 

 

Serve immediately. 

 

🌿 🐟 🌱

 

Look what's new from Leslie!

Justice is Served:  A Tale of Scallops,

the Law, and Cooking for RBG

(available for purchase here)

 

"a suspenseful, exhilarating memoir; Karst relays her determination to serve the 'perfect' meal to RBG alongside an uplifting, enlightening portrayal of one of the most admired justices in the history of the Supreme Court."

-Foreword Reviews (starred review)

 

"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."

-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine

THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH

the newest Sally Solari mystery

is now available as a paperback!

 

 

Praise for THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH:

 

“A page turner for me from the very first chapter, THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH had everything I’m looking for in a mystery and more.”

Lisa K's Book Reviews



"[An] enjoyable fifth outing for Santa Cruz, Calif., chef Sally Solari.... This well-done culinary cozy should win new fans for the ever enterprising Sally."

Publishers Weekly

All five Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.