Seared Tuna with Asian Slaw and Wonton Crisps

I like to make the Asian slaw first so that the flavors can develop a little more while you’re making everything else. You’ll want to slice everything as thinly as possible, especially the red onion. A really sharp knife will make this easier. And don’t make the mistake of buying baby carrots like I did; that made it more of a challenge to get the shredded texture I was looking for.

Mix the mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons sesame oil, 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar and chili oil in a separate dish, making sure that they are completely combined. Then pour it over the bowl with the veggies, stir it all up, and put it in the fridge while you start on the tuna.

Because you are serving the tuna basically rare, you need to get really high quality tuna. My brother marinates the tuna in soy sauce and then covers it with black and white sesame seeds. It’s good that way, but we decided to try something new this time and really liked it as well. Plus it’s a lot less messy without the seeds.

Mix the soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons sesame oil, mirin (which is an Asian sweet cooking wine), 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar and honey in a quart Ziploc bag, and then add the tuna. Marinate it for about 20 minutes. If you leave it too long, then the flavors will overpower the taste of the tuna. You also want to let it marinate at room temperature, otherwise when you sear the tuna it will be really cold in the middle.

I would do the wontons next. Cut them diagonally into triangles, and then set up a plate with a few paper towels on it for the finished wontons. Next fill a skillet with vegetable or peanut oil, about an inch deep and heat it up. Once the oil is hot enough, put one wonton triangle into the oil. I would just start with one because they go quick and you don’t want to throw a bunch in there and burn them up. Let it fry on one side for 20-30 seconds, then use your tongs to turn it to the other side. Once it’s turning a light brown, take it out because it will continue to cook. Basically, I would test it a few times and you’ll get a feel for how long it takes. Once you have a few crisps done, sprinkle them with garlic salt. Don’t wait too long or the salt won’t stick. Make a lot of the crisps – even if you don’t use them all with the tuna, they are tasty on their own.

Alright, now time for the tuna. Put a little oil in a skillet and get it hot. We like our tuna mostly rare so the cooking is merely a formality, but if you like yours more done you can sear it a little longer. We basically seared the tuna for about 20 seconds on the top and bottom and that’s it. Then slice it thin and serve! The best way to eat this is to take a crispy wonton, put a little Asian slaw on it, and a slice of tuna, and pop the whole thing in your mouth! It gets messy, but that’s part of what makes it so good.