I have a brand new recipe to share with you today, seared tuna on rice cakes.
It’s always nice to serve your guests something interesting for the holidays, something that they wouldn’t ordinarily make for themselves. But creating a recipe such as this often poses a conundrum. Creating something new and interesting, requires more effort than usual and can feel a little daunting.
Seared tuna on rice cakes solves that conundrum. You essentially need to create three separate items, rice cakes, ginger slaw, and of course, seared tuna, then pile them on top of each other – easy!
The inspiration for this recipe came from attending a holiday party at Rare, in Murray Hill, NY. The party was held in a private room and one of the passed hors d’oeuvres was seared tuna with slaw on a potato chip. I loved the idea and decided to convert it into a more substantial dish more appropriate for serving as part of a meal.
This is a really nice dish, three to each person, makes for a great appetizer. Interesting to the eye and tastebuds.
If you serve seared tuna on rice cakes to your guests, they will really enjoy your efforts.
Seared Tuna on Rice Cakes
Ingredients
Seared Tuna
- 12 oz fresh tuna
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
Rice Cakes
- 2 cups sushi rice
- 3 cups boiling water
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- Coconut spray oil
- 4 tbsp sesame oil
Honey Sauce
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1/3 cup honey
Ginger Slaw
- 1 1/2 cup white cabbage sliced fine
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 medium tomato deseeded julienne
- 2 tbsp mayo
Equipment & Utensils
- Colander
- Medium saucepan with cover
- Medium skillet or fry pan
- 1/4 cup measure for mould
- Bowls of various sizes
Instructions
Seared Tuna
- Place tuna in a bowl and pour soy sauce over it.
- Ensure the tuna is completely coated with the soy sauce, and set aside.
Rice Cakes
- Place rice in colander and rinse with warm water, thoroughly.
- Tip rice into saucepan, add water then place on high heat.
- Once water begins to bubble lower heat to low cover pan and allow to slowly simmer until water is absorbed (approx. 15 mins).
- Once rice is cooked, set aside to cool.
Seared Tuna
- Sprinkle tuna with black pepper on all sides
- Heat sesame oil until hot, then carefully place tuna in skillet, sear on all sides:
- 3 mins on the first side, 2 mins on other side. Then, 1 min on the small sides. (Approximate total cooking time - 8 mins)
- Allow tuna to rest on a board.
Honey Sauce
- Place soy sauce, vinegar and honey in skillet and deglaze pan, incorporate all the bits stuck on the pan.
- Place on high heat until it bubbles, then lower to a medium heat and allow to simmer while stirring until sauce reduces to half the quantity.
- Once reduced, remove from heat, transfer to a jug or a squeeze bottle, if you have one, and set aside to cool.
Ginger Slaw
- Combine cabbage, ginger, tomato and salt in a bowl then add mayo and mix thoroughly, then set aside.
Rice Cakes
- Transfer rice into a large bowl, then add rice vinegar, sugar and salt, and mix thoroughly.
- Spray 1/4 cup measure with coconut oil then grab small amounts of rice and push into 1/4 cup measure to create circular rice cakes.
- Really pack the rice in tight, let it sit for 30 seconds then tap to release.
- You should be able to make at least nine rice cakes.
- Once you have moulded your rice cakes, heat two tbsp of sesame oil in skillet on high heat.
- Carefully place rice cakes into skillet, do not move them around too much, you want to create a crisp layer.
- Once a crisp layer has formed, add another two tbsp of sesame oil and turn to crisp the other side.
- Remove rice cakes once crisp on both sides.
To Serve
- Place three rice cakes on each plate, top each one with ginger slaw.
- Slice tuna into at least nine slices and place a slice on top of the slaw on each rice cake.
- Once you have put together three on each plate, drizzle with honey sauce and serve.
