fish

After returning home from Hawaii last week, I have a new found appreciation for tuna. We ate tuna (ahi) at least once a day in the form of poke at least once a day. It was fantastic. I wanted to come home and make my very own version of poke, but oddly I can’t find super fresh ahi tuna anywhere around Charlotte. North Carolina (not a hint of sarcasm). So the next best thing was some fresh yellowfin tuna I found at my local Whole Foods.

Since I couldn’t confirm that it was “sushi grade”, and thus acceptable for eating raw, I decided to do something a little different with my tuna. I crusted it in some sesame seeds and then seared it very quickly to just barely cook the outside, leaving the inside completely rare. Trust me, it’s delicious!

First find yourself a good tuna steak! I recommend talking to the fish monger and asking how fresh the tuna is. You don’t want something that is anything over a couple days. Then you won’t be able to cook it and keep it rare.

Then marinate the tuna in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and ginger. Not long. Just long enough to get a little sticky so that the sesame seeds can adhere to it.

Speaking of which, pour out a bunch of sesame seeds onto a plate then press your lightly marinated tuna into the seeds so that you have a nice even layer on both sides.

Now it’s time to sear this bad boy. I didn’t take any pictures of this process because it happened so quickly! Literally, we popped it into a searing hot pan for about 30 seconds on each side. It was just long enough for the outside to cook, the sesame seeds to char a bit, but the inside stays nice and pink.

For the rest of this bowl, I kept it simple. I served the gorgeous tuna over a bowl of sushi rice, with a bit of avocado, and some mango-pineapple salsa. It definitely took me back to being in Hawaii!

Man it was good.

If you want to feel like you are eating lunch in a tropical paradise, make yourself this tuna bowl, turn on a sound machine (crashing waves), and close your eyes. You will basically be there with your toes in the sand.

Now I know fresh tuna isn’t always easy to come by, and it’s not all that cheap, but I promise it’s a lot cheaper than a trip to Hawaii!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:163]

Leave it to me to start appreciating fish tacos only after I have moved away from the fish taco capital of the world (I assume). Despite growing up a stones throw from the beach and surrounded by amazing taco spots all with their own take on the fish taco, I didn’t eat my first fish taco until moving to North Carolina. That just feels wrong, doesn’t it?

Now a days if I want a fish taco I have to make the haul to the only spot in town that makes a decent one, or I can just make them at home. Since I am lazy and cheap, I tend to choose the later.

And my go-to fish taco recipe? This easy and flavorful cilantro lime fish taco!

Start with some fresh (or thawed) fish. I used tilapia which is a nice light white fish that is great for fish novice’s like me.

Generously dust the fish with a mixture of chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper. Don’t be shy! In my opinion you can’t over season the fish. Then sprinkle on some cilantro; unless you are one of those weird people who hates cilantro, then skip it.

Now take a half a lime and squeeze the bejeezus out of it to get every ounce of juice over the fish. Then pop in the oven for a quick bake.

After about 10 minutes in the oven, the fish should be done and already flaking apart. All you have to do is take a fork to it to break it up into smaller chunks. Now they are ready to be made into tacos!

I like to top my fish tacos off with a fresh mango pineapple salsa, which is the same salsa I used in the Jamaican Jerk Shrimp skewers. There is just something about fish and tropical fruit. I don’t know what it is.

These tacos make such a nice fresh and healthy dinner that can be made in less than 30 minutes, easy! And if you are new to fish, kinda like me, this recipe will be great for you. Tilapia is a nice mild fish with that really takes on the flavor of whatever you season it with. It is also very easy to cook and practically fool proof.

Trust me.

But if you are a fish connoisseur and tilapia is too mild for you, you can definitely substitute in some ahi tuna, mahi mahi, halibut, and any other favorite fish! Make it your own!

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:139]

Sesame Crusted Tuna Bowl

Cilantro Lime Fish Tacos