fish story

wasabi seared tuna:

soy sauce
sesame oil
fresh jalapeno
a bit of sugar
a modest amount of cilantro
sashimi grade tuna steaks

In a small bowl, pour enough soy sauce to provide a base for a glaze or marinade. This should vary according to the amount of steaks you plan to prepare. Slowly add sesame oil and, using a fork, emulsify as rigorously as possible. If you've never emulsified anything before, simply disrupt (not stir) the mixture as the oil is being added in a very rapid motion of the wrist. You want to break the oil up into as many small droplets as possible. Finely chop fresh jalapeno to taste (err on the side of too spicy: the cooking process and the other flavors in the mixture will compete heavily with the pepper's influence). FInely chop and add cilantro. Stir in sugar. Emulsify again. The sugar is not for taste, it is for consistency and to create the stickiness that a glaze needs. You should neither leave it out nor use enough that you can detect its flavor.

Cover tuna steaks in glaze. Heat a thick-bottomed pan with a small amount of oil in it to medium high. You need a pan that will cook at high heat but will not cook the fish through too fast. If you don't know how to buy fresh fish, look up the fish markets in your area and inquire there about the best days to purchase which types. Normally, people who work at fish markets are more than willing to answer questions.

Place the glazed tuna steaks in the pan, allowing the outsides only to become white and then light brown. This takes only a matter of minutes, and stalling here can make you lose the whole point of the recipe. Remove from heat once the tuna is seared and cut into julienne pieces. Serve atop sushi rice with a shoestring cut cucumber-sesame salad and sparkling water with lime. Enjoy.

jj