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Warm Towels

Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Thai Avocado Relish

by Ruth McCarthy

Ingredients

1 tuna steak (roughly 425g)
1 tsps black pepper
1 tsps salt
0.33 cups sesame seeds
2 tbsps peanut or vegetable oil
1 tbsps lime juice
0.25 cups diced red onion
1 tbsps thai-style fish sauce
1 finely diced avocado
1 chili pepper or cayenne pepper, seeds removed, chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves
30 taro chips or plain popchips (roughly 30)

Preparation

Step 1

Cut tuna into 4 or 5 strips, each 1.5 inches wide; season with salt and pepper. Pour sesame seeds onto a small plate and, working with 1 strip of tuna at a time, press into seeds to fully coat each side. Heat oil over medium-high and sear strips 30 seconds per side (under cook is better then over); set aside.

Step 2

In a small non-reactive bowl, combine 1 tsp (5mL) lime juice and the red onion; season with salt.

Step 3

In a separate small bowl, combine the remaining 1 lime juice and fish sauce; add avocado, chili and lime leaves. Gently stir to separate avocado pieces and coat all in lime juice mixture. Season with freshly ground pepper. (If making ahead, keep components separate, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.)

Step 4

Cut tuna strips into pieces 1/2 inch thick. Top individual chips with a single piece of tuna, a generous tsp of the the avocado mixture and a scant 0.5 tsp of the onion mixture. Serve right away.