Art of Cooking: Chia Seed Pan Seared Ahi Tuna & Jalapeno Pico de Gallo
Summer is nearly here! We want to turn up the refreshing flavor on your next dish by combining a Mexican dish with a Hawaiian delicacy. Fortunately, these are dishes are very simple to make but look incredibly gourmet when placed on a serving dish. Plus, they are tasty and healthy too!
What You’ll Need:
- Fresh ahi tuna steak(s)
- Chia seeds (1-2 cups)
- Himalayan pink salt or salt alternative (to taste)
- Peppercorns or ground black pepper (to taste)
- Avocados (2 – 3 small to medium size)
- Pineapple (3 – 4 rings)
- Rice Vinegar
- Soy Sauce
- Red onion (1 – 1 1/2)
- Jalapeno peppers (2 -3)
- Fresh cilantro (1/3 cup)
- Heirloom Tomatoes (2 – 3)
- Radishes (1 -2)
- Lime juice (to taste)
- Tortilla chips (1 – 2 bags)
- Canola Oil
- Frying pan
- Cutting Knives
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Serving plate or dish
- Mortar and pestle
Start by making the jalapeno pico de gallo. The pico de gallo tastes better when it sits in its juices for 10 or more minutes. The shelf life is only about 12 hours though. Dice red onions, jalapeno peppers, heirloom tomatoes and radishes. Make sure when choosing your heirloom tomatoes, you find ones that are not too ripe but not too firm.
You want them to stay intact when you combine everything together while still having those yummy juices in the mix. Place your diced ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Finely chop your fresh cilantro. Add to mixing bowl. Add himalayan pink salt to taste. Add lime juice to taste. About 1 lime juice container full or 4 freshly squeezed limes. Mix altogether. Place in fridge to chill for 10 – 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips! This can serve as your appetizer or side dish for the main dish.
For the chia seed pan seared ahi tuna steaks. Be sure to rinse your fish and pat dry. You want the fish to be room temperature for the seeds to stick more easily. It also helps to have as much moisture removed from them as possible.
Allow your fish to stay wrapping in paper towels as your prepare their coating. In a bowl, combine 2 tbsps of rice vinegar and 2 -3 tbsps of soy sauce. Add 1 -2 tsps of canola oil. Place to the side.
On a plate, combine chia seeds and himalayan pink salt with pepper. For my recipe, I found that using coarse himalayan pink salt and fresh peppercorns crushed in a mortar and pestle enhances the taste of the dish.
I hand crushed them and mixed them in with the chia seeds. The salt and pepper is to the taste. Add more or less to the chia seeds.
Place canola oil in a frying pan and place on medium high heat. Coat your tuna steaks in the vinegar and soy sauce mixture. Next, coat them in the chia seeds mix.
Add them to the frying pan. Be sure to only do 40 seconds to 1 minute on both sides. Otherwise, your ahi tuna won’t have that delicious rawness in the center.
Peel and slice avocados. If using a fresh pineapple, cut into rings. Place them on a serving dish. I chose to do a fancy flower presentation. Add a little salt and pepper to the avocados.
Slice your ahi tuna steaks into about 1/8 inch pieces. I used a serrated knife but its recommended to use a knife that does not have a serrated edge for presentation purposes. Gently place on your avocado and pineapple creation.
This refreshing meal has a latin island flavor combination bursting with color and taste. Aside from the dicing prep work, it is so easy to make! It looks absolutely stunning making your guests say “oooh” and “ahhh,” the minute they see it!