Sesame Crusted Tuna with Cucumber Ribbons and Ginger Ponzu Sauce

I’m a pretty organized person, so a trip to the grocery store sometimes feels like a military operation.  I get an email every week with my supermarket’s specials, and I plan the weekly menu around what’s on sale.  Then I draw up a grocery list, but at the store I am prone to grabbing bright, shiny objects – like, say, a piece of delicious, expensive, cheese, a basket of equally expensive figs, or a tray of not-too expensive but lethal for my diet cupcakes – and toss them into my cart with abandon.

On several occasions, this behavior has led to chaos in my bank account.  Then, when my pants don’t fit, I can’t afford new ones.  So I write the list, and try really hard to stick to it.  This is also handy because I have kids, so when they ask for approximately 40,000 kinds of junk food, I can tell them that it isn’t on the list, so we can’t buy it.  Fortunately, they can’t read yet, so they have no way of knowing if I’m lying. 

But a few weeks ago, my list got blown to hell.  It wasn’t my fault, actually.  I had done all of the shopping – sticking to my list – when I realized that I had forgotten something.  I ran back through the store, picked up what I was missing, and I was headed back to my family – who was already at the check-out line – when I saw that sashimi grade tuna was on sale at a ridiculous price.  There was nothing about tuna on sale in the email I had received with the weekly specials, and I know that this is true, because if tuna had been in the email, it would have been on my list.  Without even breaking stride, I bought a pound, but I didn’t have time to figure out what I wanted to do with it, or pick up anything to accompany it.

With tuna of that caliber, there are really only two options: raw or barely seared.  Since I had a big container of sesame seeds, I decided on barely seared.  I probably would have done this with a little radish slaw, or maybe some greens, but I didn’t have any of those things.  I took an English cucumber, peeled it, and then kept peeling ribbons off the vegetable until I got down to the seeds.

Then all I needed was a little sauce to dress the tuna and cucumber.  I had ponzu sauce, which is available at every grocery store now, and is less salty and brighter than soy.  I mixed in some fresh ginger and sesame oil.  Voila!  It was awesome, but I can’t take much credit.  It’s pretty easy to create a restaurant grade meal when you have as fine an ingredient as that tuna.  My only regret was that I didn’t make some sushi rice to go along with it… 

One last thing: I only made a pound of fish, which was enough for dinner for two.  This is, sadly, not the kind of meal where you want leftovers.

SESAME CRUSTED TUNA WITH CUCUMBER RIBBONS AND GINGER PONZU SAUCE

1 pound sashimi grade tuna

¼ cup sesame seeds

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 English cucumber

¼ cup ponzu sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

1 ½ tsp toasted sesame oil

Sprinkle the tuna with salt and pepper, then press the sesame seeds into both sides of the fish. 

Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  When it is hot, sear the tuna.  Do NOT overcook it!  Tuna should be served raw almost all the way through, with only a thin sear of cooked fish on each side.  About 2 minutes per side should do it. 

Meanwhile, peel the cucumber, then continue to peel long ribbons of the flesh until you get to the seeds.  Discard the seeds, and place the cucumber ribbons in a bowl. 

In another small bowl, mix together the ponzu sauce, sesame oil, and grated ginger.

Thinly slice the tuna, then arrange with cucumber ribbons.  Spoon some sauce over the whole thing.  Serve with sushi rice, if you like. 

Serves two without leftovers.