One of the consistent things happening in my kitchen is the exploration of Asian cuisine and this pan-seared tuna is no exception. The flavors and fresh ingredients used in Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese food have led me to explore the sauces and traditional dishes of East Asia. The Korean kimchi is also super-easy to make and here is a great kimchi recipe from a fellow foodie. One recent variation of a Thai Green Curry was part of an empanada series I did. Check out the recipe on the chicken empanada recipes page. You might also like the wasabi cold pasta salad I did awhile back.

Now back to the topic at hand; pan-seared tuna with ginger-carrot sauce. I was looking for inspiration for the upcoming week’s dinner menu and stumbled across Martha Stewart’s tuna recipe. I’d had a frozen tuna steak in the freezer for a few weeks waiting for the next sushi night that never came. So, I thawed that sucker out and began with the recipe. While the tuna was thawing I began working on the ginger-carrot sauce. I don’t have a juicer so I had to make things harder than they probably needed to be with a blender and a fine mesh sifter, but the result was nearly the same. Here’s how it went and how I my version of the recipe came out.

Ginger-Carrot Sauce Instructions

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 teaspoons white miso
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup carrot juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced

Directions

If you don’t have carrot juice on hand, you can use about 3 large carrots and slice them into thick chunks. Place them into a blender with 1/4 cup of water and blend until smooth. Place pulp into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to catch the juice. Press the blended carrot with the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze the juice from the pulp until you have 1/3 cup of juice.

Using an immersion blender, add all sauce ingredients into a tall bowl but leaving out the scallion. Blend on low until miso is completely dissolved. Pour into 4 serving dishes for dipping and add the scallions equally in each dish.

Pan-Seared Tuna Instructions

Ingredients

• 1/8 Cup wasabi coated sesame seeds
• 1 pound sushi-grade yellowfin tuna
• 2 tablespoon safflower oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions

Spread sesame seeds thinly over a small plate. Slice thawed tuna steak into 1 inch thick strips and press into seeds, turning to coat each side. Heat oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Gently place the tuna pieces into the hot pan and cook each side until seeds are golden, about 20 seconds per side. Remove tuna from pan and place on a paper-towel-lined plate and let rest for 1 minute, then cut each piece into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with a garnish of fresh, thinly-sliced ginger, chili sauce, wasabi and the ginger-carrot dipping sauce.