Young Poor & Angry Press

Hi all!  Chef Dave back again!  I sure hope all who dared brave my previous grouper dish enjoyed it.  I know I always do.  It may have been a little heavy on the cilantro, but I kinda like cilantro.  Well this week I have a KILLER recipe and story for you all.  I’ve been making this for several years now and never really honed the recipe until a couple of days ago but trust this one you can pass on to your kids.

The dish is a spin on your average, everyday, boring hum-drum tuna salad.  We have all eaten the same, nasty gooey, and bland tuna salad all of our lives, right?  NO MORE!!!  What I’ve done (I’m sure it’s been done before as there are a lot of people in this world) is put a really rad Asian spin on it.  I mean Japanese people have been dealing with this fish forever except they rarely cook it.  You, the reader, won’t have to cook any tuna.  No.  You can get your tuna out of a can just like you have been for years.  However, it is quite important what kind of canned fish you use for this, so as not to turn into a bowl of glop.

I like solid albacore in water.  There I said it.  Heed my warning.  Anything less will turn into something that looks like it’s already been eaten.  I witnessed this on Saturday evening when I presented the recipe to one of my Sautee’ chefs for trial.  Solid albacore will hold relative flakiness and withstand liquification during mixing of ingredients.  Before I give you this recipe I would also like to throw a few tips out there.  With this particular preparation, it is important to add all the ingredients into your mixing bowl BEFORE stirring anything together.  Also, it helps a lot for flavor if you add the ingredients in the order I have them listed.

Without further ado, here is an easy culinary treat, that with ease can be made at home quickly and will get those taste buds going.  It’s a fave in my kitchen and I’m sure it will be in your’s too.

ASIAN TUNA SALAD

Yield:  2 medium sandwiches, 1 large, or 1 awesome salad for 2.

1 6 oz. can of solid albacore in water.  Bumblebee makes a really good one.
1 Tbsp. soy sauce, you can use light soy if you prefer.
1 tsp.  sesame oil (not many people have it, but can purchased easily)
1 Tbsp. Capers, chopped (I smashed them with the side of knife blade)
1 tsp.  prepared wasabi (found on the ethnic foods aisle)
1 sprig fresh tarragon chopped (if you have dry, fine, use it)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Red onion, chopped as finely or coarsely as you choose
1 tsp. your favorite hot sauce (I prefer Sriracha since it’s Asian)
1 pinch pepper, no salt required
1 ½ Tbsp. Mayonnaise, more can be added to preference
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½  tsp. Sesame seeds (optional)

The Prep -

The prep is very light.  You’ll need to open the can of tuna.  You will also need to chop the onion, capers, and tarragon.  That’s really it.  Pretty easy huh?

Add all the ingredients IN ORDER and stir until JUST combined.  Don’t over stir this.  You want everything to be incorporated but you want the fish to have texture.  Adjust flavors as per your palate.

I told you it was easy.  Now just give her a taste!  It knocks my socks off EVERY TIME!!!  I’m not even making this right now and I’m slobberin’ all over my computer.

Now that you have it made, you can put the bowl into your fridge and contemplate how you want to get it into your belly.  Might I recommend a sandwich?  Let’s see.  To sliced bread I would add mayo, spring mix, and sliced tomato.  That’s it.  Let the tuna speak for itself.

Maybe you’d like a fresh salad.  In a bowl place a healthy portion of the chopped lettuce of your choice.  I like romaine/spring mix combo.  You can buy bags of this stuff from your local grocer.  Next a big scoop of your AWESOME tuna, some sliced roma tomatoes, sliced red bell peppers, and some thinly sliced red onions.  Maybe a little drizzle of olive oil over the whole thing.  The mayo in the tuna salad will act as a dressing once you begin eating.

The Story

I came up with this dish several years ago while working at a pan-Asian restaurant / sushi bar.  I only worked lunches there and after proving myself to the chef and others, one of the other cooks and I were allowed the freedom of coming up with daily lunch specials.  Being a sushi restaurant there was never a shortage of tuna.  We would make it any way you could imagine.  Sear it, slice it, roll up the slices like flowers.  Chop it up, sautee it with bok choy and sesame seeds.  This tuna salad was my addition.

When I would make it then, I would marinate raw tuna in soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.  If you can get your hands on fresh tuna, try this.  Marinate it for a little while, grill it, cook it through in the oven, and cool in refrigerator.  Break it up with 2 forks and then make according to above recipe.  Grilling it adds a whole new level of flavor.  You get a nice caramelization of sugars that is really tasty.

Enjoy this.  Share this.  Food brings people together.  I will never eat regular tuna salad again.  Why would I when I can make this?

-Chef Dave

p.s.  If ya’ll are liking what I’m writing, please feel free to drop some comments.  This let’s me know who’s following me up here and will help inspire creativity.