Asian Tuna Soba Noodle Salad Recipes

JAPANESE-STYLE TUNA NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high, and set the wakame in a small bowl. Once the water comes to a boil, ladle or pour enough over the wakame to cover it by 2 inches; let the wakame soak for 10 minutes. Transfer the wakame to a colander to drain and cool; set aside.
• While the wakame soaks, cook the noodles according to the package instructions.
• Meanwhile, prepare the dressing: In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk to combine the sesame oil, canola oil, rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and miso; set aside.
• In a small skillet, lightly toast the sesame seeds, if using, over medium-low heat until fragrant; set aside.
• Drain the cooked noodles in the colander, then transfer to a wide, shallow serving bowl. Add the wakame and about 3/4 of the dressing, and toss to coat. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Top each portion with tuna, drizzle with the remaining dressing, then sprinkle with the scallions and furikake or sesame seeds. Serve hot, cold or anywhere in between.

MISO NOODLES WITH SEARED AHI TUNA

Steps:

• For the noodles and dressing: Begin by making the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the miso, soy sauce, 1/4 cup hot water, mirin, canola oil, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Whisk together well and set aside.
• In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch the sugar snap peas until bright green and just tender, 10 to 15 seconds. Set aside. Add the soba noodles to the hot water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then strain and rinse under cold running water (this will stop the cooking process and gives the soba noodles their distinctive springy texture). Toss the noodles in the dressing and fold in the sugar snap peas and julienned carrot. Set aside until ready to serve.
• For the seared ahi tuna: In a large mixing bowl, make a quick marinade of the canola oil, sweet soy sauce, yuzu, sesame oil and ginger. Whisk together to combine. Carefully cut the tuna into 1 1/2-inch cubes and place in the marinade and toss to coat well (it will be a very light coating/marinade as the tuna shouldn't be too wet when searing).
• Thread 4 pieces of tuna per bamboo skewer (4 cubes per skewer, 8 skewers total). Mix the sesame seeds together and spread out on a flat platter. Take each skewer and press the tuna into the sesame seed mixture so it is well coated on all 4 sides.
• Heat a flat grill plate to high heat. Brush lightly with some oil to clean the grates and create a nonstick surface. Grill the tuna skewers just a few seconds on each of the 4 sides so the sesame seeds are toasted and crunchy and the tuna is rare in the middle, 30 to 35 seconds.
• Serve the tuna skewers on a bed of the dressed soba noodles and garnish with some sliced scallions.

SEARED TUNA, SOBA NOODLE AND CUCUMBER SALAD BENTO BOX

Steps:

• For the marinade and sauce: Combine the garlic, ginger and scallion whites in a medium bowl along with the soy sauce, vinegar and chile-garlic sauce. Mix well to combine. Pour half the sauce into a shallow dish with the tuna steaks and let marinate for approximately 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Reserve the remaining marinade separately to use as a sauce for the noodles.
• For the noodles: Fill a large pasta pot with a perforated insert with heavily salted water and bring to a boil. (Alternatively, use a large pot with a small heatproof colander lowered into it.) Prepare an ice bath in a medium bowl and season with a pinch of salt; set aside.
• Add the broccoli florets to the boiling water and cook until bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Lift the insert and drain away excess water. Transfer the broccoli to the ice bath. Return the insert to the pot with the boiling water. Drain the broccoli and transfer to a small sheet pan or plate lined with paper towels.
• Cook the noodles in boiling water until tender, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the insert, draining the excess water, and pour the noodles into a large bowl. Dress the noodles with the reserved marinade. Add the carrots, broccoli and edamame and toss to combine.
• For the cucumber salad: Mix together the fish sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, chile-garlic sauce and garlic in a small bowl. Toss with the cucumbers and set aside.
• Toast the black and white sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until slightly fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove the seeds to a bowl.
• Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Increase the heat to medium-high and lightly coat with about 1 tablespoon canola oil. When the oil glistens, remove the pan from the heat and set the tuna steaks in the oil; you should hear a sizzle. (Reserve the tuna marinade.)
• Return the pan to the heat and sear the tuna for about 30 seconds on each side. Turn off the burner and pour in about half the reserved tuna marinade, turning the steaks to coat. Return the pan to medium heat, bring the marinade to a simmer and cook for about 1 minute. Remove the steaks from the heat and let rest for a few minutes before slicing across the grain. Return the pan to low heat to keep the sauce warm
• Add the soba noodle salad, cucumbers and sliced tuna to the bento box sections. Garnish the tuna and cucumbers with the toasted sesame seeds and the soba noodle salad with the scallion greens. Serve with the warm sauce.