Seaweed and Sesame Crusted Tuna

I have wanted to cook this dish for soooo long. I am mad for seafood, especially sashimi-style seafood, and especially salmon and tuna (although if you follow this blog, you would know this already!) So nothing sounds more tempting to me than tuna with a crispy crust, seared and served rare... and this dish definitely ticked those boxes. I bought my tuna from Leo's in Heidelberg and was pleasantly surprised how cheap it was to pick up two fresh, good cuts- $10 for two (individually wrapped fillets from the seafood section).

Now this dish might look fancy schmancy, but its actually super easy to make. If you like sashimi, carpaccio, or even if you don't and want to try the whole raw fish thing but not all the way raw- then you should give this a try. I am not going to include the recipe for the soba noodle salad I served with it, as I wasn't impressed with that (yes, I do sometimes cook things I don't like!) but this dish could be served alone as an appetizer, or with an Asian salad or coleslaw, or with your favourite vegetarian stirfry dish.

Seaweed and Sesame Crusted Tuna (serves 2)

2 decent sized pieces of tuna (try to find sashimi grade, if not, a good clean, thick cut with no fat)

Pandaroo Sushi Rice seasoning-- Seaweed and Sesame Furikake flavour (about 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup of extra sesame seeds

Salt and pepper
Olive or vegetable oil, to cook

On a flat plate, combine the sushi rice seasoning, the extra sesame seeds and S&P to your liking. You then bread the tuna whole just like you would do with a chicken schnitzel. Make sure the whole fillet is covered, and try to press extra crust onto it because it is so yummy!

In a pan, heat your oil. Drop a pinch of the crust mixture into it to make sure it is ready (it should sizzle almost straight away). Place your fillets in the oil. Cook on each large side for one minute each, then seal off the top and sides so your crust is browned almost all over. This short cooking time allows the fish to stay raw in the middle, and tuna isn't the most attractive fish when cooked so the pink flesh in the middle makes it look much more appetising.

Drain on some paper towel, then place your tuna on a plate or chopping board. Using a sharp knife, slice the tuna into 2cm or so slices and lay out on your plate. I served mine with a splash of soy sauce, but there are plenty of different dipping sauces or vinegarettes which would go great with this dish.

Enjoy!