Wasabi Tuna Deviled Eggs

This recipe held so much promise, yet it was not very good. The eggs were too salty or perhaps the tuna fish just did not go well in it all. Anyways, the overall result was less than perfect. They looked absolutely beautiful, but simple deviled eggs minus the tuna would have been better. On top of that, the furikake added some strange sugar-sweet flavor which was also not very harmonious. The original recipe was from the Costco Magazine

Ingredients:

8 large hard cooked eggs, peeled
1/4 cup mayo
2 tablespoons minced green onions
2 tablespoons minced celery
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 7 ounce can of tuna, drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper
furikake or black sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks and transfer to a medium bowl.
2. Mash the egg yolks with mayo, scallions, celery and wasabi paste.
3. Mix in the tuna and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spoon the tuna mixture into the egg white halves.
5. Garnish with sesame seeds or furikake. 

What we liked:

The idea was so great. 

What we didn't like:

The end result fell far short of expectations

What Kaspian thought about it:

He didn't touch these. 

Next time:

Perhaps incorporate wasabi into the deviled egg mixture but leave the tuna out for sure!

Spicy Tuna Bowls

Tuna bowls are super easy, versatile dishes which can contain any toppings you choose We have never made spicy tuna before, but it turned out really easy to make and wonderfully delicious!
For our toppings, we chose cucumber, sliced green onion, avocado and roasted sesame seeds. We made the seared tuna with shallot ginger sauce before. You can find the recipe for the seared tuna using that link. Here, we will just focus on the spicy tuna.

Spicy Tuna Bowl

Seared Tuna Bowl

Spicy Tuna up close!

Seared Tuna Bowl

Seared Tuna

Spicy Tuna

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of sushi grade ahi tuna
2 sliced green onions
1 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons sriracha (to taste)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons tequila (we didn't have sake...would imagine any distilled alcohol would work)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce (to taste)

Sushi Rice for the Bowl
cucumber sliced for topping
avocado sliced for topping

Directions:

1. Finely dice tune into desired sized pieces. We like smaller pieces, other prefer larger cuts.
2. Mix together all ingredients, leaving some green onions and sesame seeds to top the bowl with. Add items like sriracha and soy sauce to desired taste.
3. Prepare your bowl by placing the warm sushi rice on the bottom, top with spicy tuna mixture and any desired toppings. 

What we liked:

It was so good and quick and easy and honestly, better than some that we have had at Japanese restaurants. 

What we didn't like:

It was great!

What Kaspian thought about it:

Too suspicious to try. Astrid loved the rice. A lot. All over her. We seriously have to take her highchair outside to shake her and it off after we offer her rice. 

Next time:

Seared Ahi Tuna Rice Bowl with Ginger Sauce

We combined a few recipes for this one. We are still trying to figure out the sauce that comes with the search tuna appetizer at a local restaurant here called Elephant Bar (if anyone knows how that sauce is made let us know!).This was really easy, simple and fast. Throw some rice to cook in the rice cooker - we didn't have any seasoned rice wine, so we substituted with some dry white wine (chardonnay + sugar) for the rice. It really adds flavor to it and changes the texture as well. The variations on this rice bowl are endless, you can add whatever ingredients you like!

Ingredients:

1 cup sushi rice
8 oz tuna steak
chives (optional)
sliced cucumbers
sesame seeds

Sauce:
2 oz fresh ginger
2 oz shallots
1/4 to 1/3 cup soy sauce (vary to taste)
1 - 2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Set rice to cook in a rice cooker with water.
2. While rice is cooking prepare the sauce - combine all ingredients in a magic bullet or blender and blend until smooth.
3. For tuna - rinse and pat dry. On a plate, mix sesame seeds, salt and pepper and spread around. Roll the tuna in the mixture. Heat a frying pan to medium high- sear the tuna on each side about 1-2 minutes until pink in the middle but seared on the outside (cut a piece to test it).
4. Serve with Rice in a bowl topped with tuna, cucumber, chives and sauce. 

What we liked:

Very quick and delicious. The sauce turned out great too.

What we didn't like:

Nothing - it was great!

What Kaspian thought about it:

Kaspian liked the rice and cucumbers but we didn't offer him any fish.  

Next time:

Keep this sauce...but maybe try one with some orange in it? 

Tuna with Herb-Roasted Vegetables and Olives

We love tuna. Sushi tuna, fresh tuna, canned tuna. Yum! This recipe looked very different from all other tuna salads we've had as those are usually very creamy and mayo loaded. This recipe is very light and very good. It was refreshing. The carrots, surprisingly, provided a sweet flavor to the dish. The potatoes, we chose baby potatoes, were perfectly roasted and as always - so very good with rosemary. The rosemary bush we planted last fall (attempt #6 at a live rosemary bush) made it through winter and looks like it will survive and grant us wonderful rosemary for our recipes!
Also, olives can be overpowering in recipes sometimes, but for this one they were perfect. We did use a little more parsley though. The only thing that this recipe might benefit from is perhaps a very very light vinaigrette, maybe just an olive oil and salt drizzle.
This recipe comes from the most recent edition of the Costco Kirkland Magazine. I am unable to find a link for it online.
Note: we cooked the potatoes and carrots for 45 minutes, then turned the oven off and left the veggies in there to keep warm until we were ready to mix it in with the rest of the salad. This worked out wonderfully.

Served!

Close up in the serving dish 

All mixed in the serving dish!

Ingredients:

1 lb (approx) of baby potatoes, washed
4 medium carrots cut into 1/2 inch - thicker end sliced in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 7-ounce can Kirkland Signature Solid White Albacore Tuna in water, drained and flaked
1/2 cup sliced green olives - we used pimento stuffed ones
1/2 bunch of chopped parsley, optional 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes and carrots with oil to coat and sprinkle with salt. Arrange in a single layer and baked until tender and golden, about 45 minutes total. (Do step 3 after about 20 minutes!)
3. Midway through cooking add rosemary and stir to distribute.  
4. Remove from oven and stir in tuna and olives. Toss with parsley if desired. 

What we liked:

Very easy and good and warm. It was a very different style of tuna salad. It was light and surprisingly tasty. 

What we didn't like:

It was a little dry.

What Kaspian thought about it:

It did not warrant his attention. He had pepperoni and cheese and one of the potatoes (ones that didn't touch the parsley!)

Next time:

Might try experimenting with a very light oil vinaigrette. 

Week 1, Day 5 - Seared Ahi Tuna on a bed of baby romaine

Today we made Seared Ahi Tuna served on a bed of baby romaine lettuce.
It is a quick and easy dinner option. Our local Sprouts had the previously frozen Ahi Tuna on sale this week and it takes about 15 minutes total to make. It is definitely one our favorite dishes.  One thing that we make differently every time we make it is the sauce. We have yet to find the perfect sauce.

Seared Ahi Tuna

Ingredients: 

1 lb Ahi Tuna 

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: 

1. Heat up a pan with the 4 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat.

2. Cut steaks into 2 inch wide strips

3. Combine sesame seeds, salt and pepper in a shallow dish

4. Dredge steaks in the sesame seeds, salt and pepper

5. Fry steaks 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on each side after that. 

Sauce

Ingredients: 

5 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon ginger - we used slightly dried 

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil - optional

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir together. 

What we liked:
The tuna was cooked perfectly this time. It was the best yet. Quick and easy and always delicious! 

What we didn't like: 

Still searching for the perfect sauce. We made 2 versions, one with the sesame oil and one without. We liked the one without better, but still not perfect. Perhaps less lemon juice might have been better. Additionally, we were out of wasabi and that made Nick sad. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He just kept asking what it was and "what's inside it?". He did not seem to believe that there was tuna inside the wonderful sesame crust. He happily went to eating his dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets instead. 

Next time: 

Better sauce. Will attempt something with a wasabi/ginger/soy combination.