Asian Ahi Tuna Panini Recipes

ASIAN SESAME SEARED OR GRILLED TUNA (GLUTEN FREE)

Steps:

• Whisk tamari, sesame oil, mirin, honey, vinegar, ginger, green onions, and garlic together in a bowl until marinade is evenly mixed. Place tuna steaks in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Spread sesame seeds onto a plate. Remove tuna from marinade and discard marinade. Press tuna into sesame seeds until evenly coated.
• Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot; cook tuna in the hot oil until cooked to desired doneness, 30 seconds to 5 minutes per side.

TUNA PANINI MELT

Steps:

• Mix tuna, mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar, onion, and dill pickle together in a bowl.
• Spread tuna mixture over 2 slices of bread. Top with American cheese and remaining 2 slices of bread.
• Cook in a panini press until bread is crispy and cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes.

ASIAN AHI TUNA PANINI

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and wasabi powder until well blended, then stir in green onion; set aside.
• Rub the tuna steaks with 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, then sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the five-spice powder.
• Let the wasabi mayonnaise and the tuna steaks stand for 15 minutes at room temperature to allow the flavors to blend, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1hour; if refrigerating, return to room temperature before grilling the tuna and assembling the panini.
• Preheat the sandwich grill.
• Arrange the tuna steaks in the grill, close the top plate and cook until seared on the outside and about 1/4 inch into the interior, 8-10 minutes (time may be less, so watch closely).
• Transfer immediately to a plate; leave the grill on and clean the grill plates.
• Place the rolls, cut side down, on a work surface and brush the crust sides with the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder.
• Turn and spread the wasabi mayonnaise on the cut side of each roll, then layer 1 tuna steak, half of the pickled ginger, and half of the watercress over the mayonnaise on the bottom half of each roll.
• Cover with the top halves of the rolls, mayo side down, and press to pack gently.
• Place the panini on the grill, close the top plate, and cook until the bread is golden and toasted, the ginger and tuna are warmed through, and the watercress is just slightly wilted, 2-4 minutes.
• The tuna should not cook much further; place on warmed plates and serve at once.

AHI TUNA TACOS

Steps:

• In a small bowl whisk together zest and juice from the orange, lemon and lime. Mix in the soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, shallot, garlic, parsley, ginger and black pepper.
• Place tuna steaks in a resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over and seal. Let stand at room temperature 10-15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pat excess moisture from tuna steaks with paper towels. Place in skillet and sear uncovered for 1 minute. Carefully flip tuna steaks over and sear for 1 minute more.
• Transfer to a cutting board and thinly slice the tuna.
• Serve with warm tortillas, Asian Red Cabbage Slaw, Cilantro Pistachio Pesto, Yum Yum Sauce, sesame seeds, sliced jalapeno, fresh cilantro and squeeze of lime. Enjoy!

SEARED AHI TUNA WITH ASIAN SLAW

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cabbages, green beans, red bell pepper, pickled ginger, and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate.
• In a small saucepan heat the canola oil to 325 degrees F and carefully fry the wonton strips for 3 to 4 seconds, until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the strips to a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
• For the dressing:
• In a blender or food processor, blend together the ginger, green onion, garlic, and cilantro.
• For the Tuna:
• Coat the tuna with the oil and season with the salt and pepper. On a plate scatter the sesame seeds and press the tuna into the seeds on both sides, gently shaking off the excess.
• Heat a large grill or saute pan over high heat and sear the tuna for 3 minutes on each side. Remove the fish from the pan and let rest for several minutes before slicing. The tuna will be medium-rare.
• Toss the vegetables with half of the dressing and mix well. Add half of the wonton strips and gently combine. Mound the slaw onto a platter or indivisual plates. Place the sliced tuna on top of the salad and drizzle the remaining dressing on top. Garnish with the remaining wonton strips.

ASIAN-FLAVORED SEARED TUNA WITH GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Mix soy sauce, wasabi powder and garlic powder in 8x8x2-inch glass dish. Add tuna; turn several times to coat with marinade. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain well.
• Heat sesame oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove tuna from marinade; reserve marinade. Sprinkle tuna on all sides with pepper. Add tuna to skillet and cook until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer tuna to plates. Add green beans, sugar and reserved marinade to skillet. Cook until sauce is reduced enough to coat beans, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, place beans alongside tuna and serve.

SUPER EASY SEARED AHI TUNA

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, cut the tuna into 4 large pieces for appetizer portion, 2 large pieces for dinner portion. Use your judgment on what shape you want to cut your tuna because not all tuna is the same size or shape. However, the shape should somewhat resemble a miniature brick.
• Season the tuna pieces with salt and pepper. Coat lightly on all sides with bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. The pan should be as hot as you can get it. Place the tuna in the pan, and sear on each side for about 45 seconds for small portions, or 1 minute for large. Remove from pan. The tuna will be very rare.
• Slice each 'brick' into 1/4 inch thick slices, and fan out on a serving plate. Enjoy plain, or with the condiments of your choice.