Sesame Seared Albacore Loin

February 21, 2008

The clean, crisp air of Seattle, with its slightly salty breeze, calls for a meal of fresh fish. Luckily, it's quite easy to find good sushi-grade fish in the Emerald City. Just head to the market -Pike Place Market, that is - and buy yourself a top-grade troll-caught albacore tuna loin. What is troll-caught, you ask, and why would I want it? Younger (3-5 years old) troll-caught albacore contains more Omega-3 fatty acids than larger, older albacore tuna. And, because of the higher content of fatty acids you need less fat in your recipe. It always comes out buttery and tender.

Trolling (fishing with jigs behind a slow-moving boat) is also a low-impact, environmentally responsible fishing method . We like that!

Sesame Seared Albacore Tuna

Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan.
Combine equal amounts of toasted and black sesame seeds on a plate.
Thoroughly coat each side of the loin with the seeds (no need to use any egg wash as the seeds will stick).
Sear loin on each side about 1 minute (a bit more if you want it less rare inside).

To cut the loin use an exceptionally sharp chef's knife. To come out with clean, unbroken slices, I find it easiest if you place your hand perpendicular to the loin and carefully slice between your index and middle finger. This way you can stabilize the loin while you slice and prevent it from falling apart. Take care to make nice long slices, not short back-and-forth slices as if cutting bread.

Serve on a bed of wakame and drizzle with a little ponzu sauce. It's also delicious with a little soy sauce and wasabi.

Tip: How can you tell how well-done your fish (or meat) is? Check out Men in Aprons' Hand Test Method.

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Comments

Dreama's picture

It's not easy to find really fresh tuna here in the desert, but my mouth waters when I look at your photo of the tuna you cooked!!!!

Buy Caviar's picture

Hi,
The only thing i can say now is YUMMY,,, I like the way you are writing the posts .. these are really helpful !