Mr. SGCC and I went to a fancy cocktail party several weeks ago. It was the kind of party where everybody spoke in hushed tones, hors d'oeuvres were passed on silver trays and champagne was poured into real crystal flutes. The kind of party where you feel obligated to squeeze your feet into high heels and risk killing, or at least maiming yourself.
Yawn!
The buffet table was just lovely though, laden with platters of impeccably displayed, mouthwatering morsels and mile-high vases of lush, fresh flowers. At one end of the tables, a guy wearing a crisp, starched, white jacket stood over a smoking hot wok. He was searing gorgeous slabs of tuna encrusted with black and white sesame seeds. and was doing an excellent job of it too. That tuna was perfectly cooked - golden and crunchy on the outside and cool and smooth on the inside. It literally melted in your mouth! I remember thinking at the time that I simply had to try to recreate this dish at home.
The next morning, I was sipping my coffee and scanning through my reader, when lo and behold, I saw a recipe on Steamy Kitchen for the exact. same. tuna. What luck! I've made no secret of the fact on this blog that I think Jaden's recipes are terrific. And, I'm lucky enough to live in the same city, so if I have any questions, I don't even have to call long distance. I bookmarked the recipe and hurried down to Whole Foods to find some beautiful, fresh, sushi-quality tuna steaks.
Just look at these beauties!
I followed Jaden's recipe pretty much as written. She says to coat the tuna with a thin layer of wasabi paste before coating it with the black and white sesame seeds. I was a little leery of this, but I did it anyway. She promised it wouldn't kill me. Then, I seared it, sliced it and served it with some zingy, citrusy, homemade Ponzu Sauce.
Ponzu Sauce is a citrus-based sauce that is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is made by boiling mirin, rice vinegar, bonito flakes, and seaweed over medium heat. The liquid is cooled and then strained, after which citrus juice is added. In Japan, Ponzu is made with a citrus fruit called yuzu which can be difficult to find in here in the States. Fortunately, a very close facsimile can be made using other citrus fruits like lemons, limes and oranges, which is what I did here. My version also includes soy sauce, technically making it a Ponzu Shoyu. I also left out the seaweed, because I didn't have any and didn't feel like going to the store again.
You can buy bottled Ponzu Sauce in the ethnic foods aisle at most supermarkets, but don't. It is so incredibly easy to make yourself, and the flavor just doesn't compare with the bottled stuff!
I have to tell you, my Sesame-Crusted Tuna was just as good, if not better than the one I ate at that cocktail party. That tuna was like buttah! And the wasabi schmear that I rubbed all over it really did mellow out and give a nice, gentle bite to the tuna, just like Jaden said it would.
I'm going to send you over to Steamy Kitchen for the tuna recipe. She gives a detailed, step-by-step presentation there. But, definitely come back here for the Ponzu Sauze. It will really make your tastebuds sing!
Ponzu Sauce
(Printable Recipe)
Ingredients:
¾ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
½ cup rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup bonito flakes
1 tbsp fresh lime zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Directions:
Combine the mirin, vinegar, soy sauce, lime zest and bonito flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Remove from the heat and let cool.
Pour the sauce through a strainer into a bowl and discard the solids.
Mix in the citrus juices.
Can be stored in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Enjoy!
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37 comments:
What a stunning dish! Looks like you can have this amazing dish anytime the craving hits you... who needs a stuffy dinner party now!
I would talk about how gorgeous that tuna is, but I'm too distracted by the image of you maiming yourself with the high heels. LOL.
Be careful with those high heels, hon! :) I think you totally rocked this one. That looks so amazingly good. Jaden would be proud! And I am nuts about ponzu sauce. Before I knew what it was (and how to make it) I used to run my finger through the little ponzu puddle on my sushi plates and lick the ponzu. mmmmmmm :) Love that stuff.
Simply wonderful looking presentation...
Fantastic! That tuna is cooked to perfection!
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh wow, Susan SGCC is moving up in this world. I always come here for my sweet fix, but this is so amazing!!!
Oh man, now I wish I could find myself a reputable sushi grade fish dealer! My throat can tell if it's not (itcheee!), which makes me envy those who really enjoy sashimi, sigh. And I've had to endure horrible overcooked tuna steaks as a result, too. I'd love to give the ponzu a try, though! :)
This looks so delicious! And what beautiful photos, too.
I will definitely be over to Steamy Kitchen to check this out.
It's so hard to find sushi-grade tuna here (unless you want to pay ridiculous amounts of money)....but your pics look so good I'm going to have to go get some asap.
Gorgeous tuna and the ponzu sauce sounds excellent!
Susan, you just took tuna to another level and made it WOW! Beautiful!
The recipe sounds great as well ;) - I just can't stop drooling over the photos!
You're the best Susan, I just love your post. Since I've met you, I can easily imagine you at this cocktail party :)
Your tuna looks mouthwatering- it's my husband's favorite. I'm always afraid to eat it rare though!! Ponzu sauce is a nice addition.
That tuna is freaking beautiful looking and making me really jealous that I can't find it around here reasonably priced.
I also have been looking for a good ponzu sauce for chicken so yeah!!!
Nicely done!
What beautiful photos. I don't even eat fish and I think this looks delicious.
Be careful in those high heels now, Accident Prawn. ;-)
Homemade ponzu...that's awesome. Great, light meal.
Oh my goodness! That tuna with sesame looks brilliant really in savor and in the photo too!!
Drooling here! Pass me a fork please :D
Cheers!
Gera
Sounds wonderful, and great photos. I especially like the first picture, just drooling here.
Oh my god- this looks soooooooo delicious!
I bet you livened up that cocktail party! Your pix are just AMAZING!!!! So beautiful.
What great looking tuna! We've been eating a lot of seared tuna and tuna Tartare lately. Yours looks amazing. Thanks for the sauce recipe. I'm going to try that next time. I usually just squirt mine with some lemon juice, but this sounds great.
this looks really great. i tried cooking with ponzu a couple of times, but without much luck. of course, I wasn't working with real recipes, just winging it. It's strong stuff, so that was probably a mistake.
I think I just found a new way to my heart. This couldn't be more gorgeous - I love tuna because of recipes like these!
Susan, perfection! That tuna is cooked perfectly, it is heresy to overcook sushi grade tuna.
I am going to try your ponzu, the ones in the market vary greatly and are usually poor, Eden Foods makes a decent one but it is difficult to find.
nice job on the tuna! i love sesame crusted sushi grade tuna. great with the ponzu, too!
Gorgeous photo, and what a delicious dish!!! This is the best way to eat tuna. YUM!
What a nice tuna dish. I'm always afraid to cut tuna as I don't know when to stop the cooking.
The tuna looks perfectly cooked! Wonderful presentation.
Oh I LOVE LOVE LOVE tuna.... this looks so incredibly yummy I will be trying it very soon.... Thanks once again for a GREAT recipe.
(((HUGS)))
Donna
This looks so good! My husband will love this!
Oh! Oh! I love ponzu and had never even thought of making my own. I just assumed it was the juice of the yuzu, not that there were all these other ingredients involved.
I love these tuna, awesome!
This seared tuna is about as perfect as I've ever seen! You did an outstanding job with it and I am sure that it was much, much better than the one at the fancy cocktail party. I am so craving sushi right now . . .
What a great way to eat tuna!
this seems lovely and you're tuna looks to die for, I can never get tuna like that here :(
See? There are some advantages to squeezing into high heels once in a while! You got a great idea for a fabulous dish. This looks amazing! This is so my kind of food.
Your own Ponzu? Seared tuna to perfection? Sesame seeds? I can't find fault in any of this dish.
This recipe is really going to keep me busy in the kitchen with all its glamor. This is another must for the weekend! My kids would just hug me for this.
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