Blackened Ahi Tuna with Mango Pico de Gallo

The Perfect Lunch: Blackened Ahi Tuna

Blackened ahi tuna is quick and easy. But why ahi tuna? It’s versatile, trendy, and perhaps overused. But damn, it’s delicious.

Lunch today will be a blackened ahi tuna steak served with sticky rice and a salad. Ahi tuna is actually Yellowfin and found in tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. Lucky for us, it can travel all the way to New Jersey and around the world for our dining pleasure.

Where to get Ahi Tuna Steaks

Where you get seafood is important. Do NOT buy your seafood at your local grocery store (unless it’s your only option), unless your local grocery store is a bougee ass Whole Foods. Even then, support your small local fish markets. We go to Keyport Fishery in Keyport, NJ or Wooley’s Fish Market in Freehold, NJ

Make sure your knives are sharp: Mango Pico Time

Start with your tomatoes. Cut each one in half and then subsequently slice into half moons. Cut the guts out of each slice and then dice. You want little bite sized cubes. You’ve all eaten pico de gallo before, right? Just picture that.

Take your half onion and peel away the skin. Lay it flat side down and hold your knife horizontal, slicing through the middle of the onion. Don’t slice all the way through, get about 85% there. You may need to do more than one of these cuts depending on how big your onion is. You can use a regular yellow or white onion here if you so choose, but red onion is queen for me.

After slicing through the middle, turn your knife back to vertical and make even slices through your onion. Then chop as you normally would. Your result should be nicely even pieces of onion. You’re also probably crying by this point. I like to wear sunglasses when I cut onions as I am especially susceptible to the sting of the onion’s breath. The sunglasses are functional and also make me look cool when I cook.

Next is the jalapeno. Cut off the stem and slice it in half. Use a spoon to scoop out those guts. Cut each half into matchstick size and then dice into even cubes. Make sure you wash your hands when you’re done because touching your face, or any other sensitive parts of your body, with the hidden fire oils of a hot pepper is no fun. Trust me.

Cut up your mango next. My favorite fruit to eat, but least favorite to cut. This is primarily due to the fact that it has a large and unruly pit in its center. I like to cut the sides off and around the pit. You may need to make a couple of discovery cuts to avoid the pit. It happens to us all of the time. Cut each side into thinner pieces and place skin side down on the cutting board. Position your knife right in between the flesh and the skin of the mango and gently slide it through to separate the flesh and skin. If you’re finding this tough to do, your mango probably isn’t ripe.

Take about half of your bunch of cilantro and cut off most of the stems, but leave about an inch and a half. Unlike its physical doppelganger, parsley, the stems of cilantro are packed with flavor. Chop them all up a little more than rough. I can already hear the Anti-Cilantro Corps complaining about the taste. Sorry that you have whatever weird gene that is where cilantro tastes like soap. Don’t rain on my parade, soap boy.

Don’t forget about the good flesh surrounding that pit. I just eat that right off the pit. This is obviously not for your salsa.

Combine your tomatoes, onion, mango, jalapeno, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Give your lime a nice roll on the cutting board to loosen up those juices, cut in half, and juice into the bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste and mix it up.

Blackening your ahi tuna steak

Now, blackening is a technique commonly seen in Cajun cooking and Ahi tuna has appeared in just about every type of dish in creation recently. I feel like you don’t see blackened ahi tuna very often, so here we are.

Start by liberally covering your tuna steak in your blackening seasoning. The level of flavor you get will be determined by this step. Cover every square inch. Let no seasoning go to waste.

Get out your pan (we love this one from Lodge), I prefer cast iron for this, and get it searing hot. You can do this by putting your burner on medium high heat. Add some vegetable oil (or light oil of your choosing) to layer the pan once it’s hot and place your tuna steaks in. If you don’t immediately hear that sizzle, your pan is not hot enough.

Cook for about three minutes on each side. You want the inside to be nice and rare, but the outsides seared with all of that blackened flavor.

Get your veggies in!

While the tuna is cooking, make your salad. Combine the rice vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, olive oil, white vinegar, lime juice, and ginger powder in a bowl and vigorously whisk together. Sometimes I prefer to put all of these ingredients into a small mason jar and shake to really get them combined. Pour over your mixed greens and toss.

By now your tuna should be done. Remove from heat and let it rest for a couple minutes.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Ahi Tuna: We really enjoy using Ahi Tuna here but feel free to use any mild white fish such as Tilapia or Mahi Mahi. Please keep in mind that if you choose to change the fish it will have a different cook time than the Ahi Tuna.
• Jasmine Rice: We absolutely love the flavor of jasmine rice and almost exclusively use it. Feel free to substitute this with you favorite!
• Blackening Seasoning: You can purchase blackening seasoning at the store but we find them to be overly salty. This is why we have included our super secret recipe on here for you. Most of these spices should already be in your spice cabinet.
• Mango: Make sure your mango is ripe, and take care when slicing!
• Jalapeno: You can opt not to use this if you do not like spice in your food, but jalepenos tend to be on the mild side and add a lot of flavor to this dish.

FAQ

Print