Houston’s Sashimi Tuna Salad
I have been dreaming of this salad ever since I had it at Houston’s in Fort Lauderdale last month (read about it HERE) so I wanted to try to recreate it myself. A couple weekends ago we had a day with absolutely nothing to do and my husband was coming off a long work week and was catching a cold so I sent him to take a long nap while I planned dinner. I headed out to the store and grabbed everything I needed (which wasn’t a lot, which is always nice!) and then set to prep everything I could. The amazing thing about this dish is that everything but the tuna can be made ahead of time so it’s no-fuss when it comes time to eat. The flavors are so fresh and bright… mixed greens with a cilantro-ginger vinaigrette loaded with tomatoes, mangoes and avocado with pan seared ahi tuna on the side. We enjoyed this meal outside and it was just as good as the original!
Here’s what I did ahead of time: Make the cilantro-ginger vinaigrette by combining 1 packed cup cilantro leaves, 1 inch piece fresh peeled ginger, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp rice vinegar (mirin), 3 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1/2 tbsp lime zest, 2 tsp agave, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper in a blender and blend until smooth (1). I then sliced up two mangoes, one avocado, two tomatoes and set them aside in a container in the fridge. I washed two heads of baby frisee and one head of red leaf lettuce then patter them dry and put them in the fridge too. Shave 1 tbsp worth of ginger to be served on the side and now you have everything prepped.
When you’re ready to eat, start by searing off the tuna. I got one 8 ounce ahi tuna steak and cut it into 3 one inch strips and seasoned all four sides with salt and fresh ground pepper (2). Heat up 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat and then put the tuna in the pan (3). The idea here is to just give a quick sear to all four sides while leaving the inside raw so you have to move pretty quickly. Once all four sides are seared, transfer to a plate (4) and then cut into slices. Toss the mixed greens with some of the vinaigrette (5) then add some to each plate. Top the salad with the tomato, avocado and mango slices and then put the tuna and the shaved ginger to the plate (6).
Houston’s Sashimi Tuna Salad
Serves two
For the vinaigrette:
1 packed cup cilantro leaves
1 inch piece peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 tbsp lime zest
2 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
For the Salad:
two heads baby frisee lettuce
one head red leaf lettuce
two tomatoes, cut into wedges
one avocado, sliced
two mangoes, sliced
For the Tuna:
8 ounce ahi tuna, cut into 1 inch strips
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
about 2 tbsp shaved fresh ginger
Make the cilantro-ginger vinaigrette by combing all ingredients in a blender and blending until smooth.
Toss the lettuce with some of the vinaigrette and put on a plate then top with the tomato, avocado and mango.
Heat up the olive oil over medium high heat and season all four sides of the strips of tuna with salt and pepper. Quick sear all sides of the tuna, transfer to a plate and cut into slices. Put them on the plates with the salads and add the shaved ginger on the side.
Yum! I love this kind of salad. Last year my husband and I found a recipe very similar to this one, and we eat it a few times a month. I feel as if I could lift cars after I eat it. 😉
Lol I know what you mean!
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Great Recipe. Every time I am back in NOLA I stop at Houston’s for one. For some reason I thought the dressing was a champagne vinaigrette and included some finely chopped onions, Either way this is on the top of my list.
Happy someone else loves it as much as I do! I wonder if it’s different on the menu in NOLA?! In Fort Lauderdale their were no onions and it was a cilantro-lime vinaigrette but a champagne one sounds wonderful too!
Thank you so so much for posting this! I just went to Hillstone in Boston (owned by Houston’s) last night and am going to attempt to recreate tonight using your post. Seared ahi tuna is my new favorite thing!
Hope it turned out great! It’s still one of my favorite meals!!
It was amazing! Have a feeling I’m going to be making it weekly. Thank you!
So glad!
I made this last week and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing! Btw, how long will the dressing last?
Becky, so happy you enjoyed the salad! I’m not sure how long the dressing is good for as we usually use it all pretty quick, lol. I would think that because of the oil and the acid in the vinegar it should be good in the refrigerator for at least a week. I think if there wasn’t the cilantro it would last even longer!
Great salad! The dressing was so refreshing with the tuna and will be making it again soon!
Happy you enjoyed this, I love how refreshing the dressing is too!