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.