Gary and I had the great opportunity to cook a charity dinner the other evening benefiting Dallas Uncorked in preparation for our 10th anniversary.  Starting with Bellinis and Bikinis, then moving on to a crisp, light and tropical fruit filled Raymond Vineyards Chardonnay from Napa Valley paired with this light and elegant appetizer of seared tuna on a creamy, airy avocado, ginger and wasabi mousse with a mango, pepper and pineapple salsa.  Beautiful in presentation and delicious to eat…a fresh and inviting start to a wonderful night. And, don’t forget, tickets are on sale now for our anniversary event on April 16, get them here.

Recipe:

Seared Tuna with Avocado, Wasabi and Mango
Ingredients for 8 appetizer servings:
For the avocado mousse –
4 ripe avcados, skins and pits removed
1 tablespoon prepared wasabi paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
Splash heavy cream
Splash white wine

For the Mango Salsa –
1 ripe mango, peeled and core removed, roughly chopped
1 cup pineapple, chopped
1 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1 roasted red pepper (jarred is fine, just rinse well)
Juice of 1 lime
Splash orange juice
Splash vanilla vodka or white wine (the vanilla adds an extra layer of depth to the salsa…delicious)

For the tuna –
12 ounces sushi grade Ahi or Big Eye tuna
1 1/2 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper
1 cup chopped English cucumber

Preparation:
For the avocado mousse – Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until the mixture starts to come together, drizzling in a touch more cream or white wine as necessary and scraping the sides down and folding everything together as you work.  The mixture will form a very airy, creamy mousse.  Spoon out into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the salsa – Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse together to form a fully mixed, well chopped salsa that still has a bit of texture. Pour out into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the tuna and plating – Add 1 tablespoon sou sauce to the chopped cucumber and set in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Season the tuna well with salt and pepper, on both sides. Heat the oil to medium-high in a non-stick pan.  You want it to almost be to the smoking level to get a good sear on the fish. Place the tuna in the pan and cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until seared fully on the bottom, then carefully flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side, just to sear. You want the tuna to remain bright pink inside. Remove from pan onto a paper towel lined plate and place in the refrigerator until the fish has chilled fully (about 20 minutes.) Remove the fish and place it on a cutting board.  Cut 1/3 inch thin slices against the grain, ensuring the fish stays tender with each bite.  Place a spoonful of the avocado mousse on the bottom of each appetizer plate, forming it into circle.  Lay two pieces of tuna in an X shape over the mousse.  Spoonful a few cubes of cucumber over the tuna, drizzling the soy over the fish as you work.  Lay a spoonful of salsa over one of the slices of fish. Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired and serve immediately.