Tuna Tataki Salad
The Japanese word “Tataki” refers to the way of cooking fish or meat by briefly searing the outside on a hot flame and leaving the inside raw. This salad combines wonderfully cooked tuna tataki (crispy on the outside and still very moist and soft on the inside) with fresh greens, crunchy roasted garlic, and a creamy, zesty dressing.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 12 oz Ahi tuna ((divide into four 3 oz portions))
- 8 oz red leaf lettuce mix ((baby spinach or other baby spring salad mix))
- 1 bunch daikon sprouts
- 1/2 onion ((sliced))
- 6-8 cloves garlic ((sliced thin))
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Good quality sea salt
- Roasted sesame seeds
- Black pepper ((optional))
- 4 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp Ponzu sauce ((Kikkoman))
- 1/2 tsp wasabi ((Japanese green mustard))
- 4 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Make the dressing. Mix the mayo, ponzu sauce, wasabi, and lemon juice. Add more wasabi to taste.
- 2
Prepare the greens. Wash and dry 8 oz of baby spring mix. If you have lettuce, wash and tear them into bite-size pieces. Peel the onion and cut it into thin slices.
- 3
Season the fish. Sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper on all sides. Be careful not to salt too much – less is better than more. Finally, coat the tuna with sesame seeds. Set aside.
- 4
Make the garlic chips. Cut the garlic cloves into thin slices and fry them in 3 Tbs of olive oil on medium high heat until they are brown and crisp. Watch closely because these little guys brown very quickly! Turn them as soon as they are brown on one side. You can use chopsticks or little tongs to do this or just stir often.
- 5
Sear the tuna. Take the garlic out of the pan and there should be some oil leftover. Do not throw away this oil since it’s now wonderfully seasoned with garlic. Reheat this oil (add a bit more oil if there is not enough to coat the frying pan) on medium high heat and when the pan is nice and hot, start searing the tuna for about 25-30 seconds on each side.
- 6
When the tuna is seared on all four sides, let it cool a bit while you get the greens ready for the salad. Do not leave it in the pan because the hot pan will continue to cook the tuna. When sliced, the tuna tataki should still be pink in the middle.
- 7
Slice the tuna and layer it on top of the greens.
- 8
Drizzle the dressing on top of the tuna and the greens. Add the daikon sprouts and the garlic chips.