Tuna for Idiots & Tuna Tataki Recipe

Cooking tuna is the easiest thing to do in the world. Its easier than Mac n Cheese. Its quicker than Mac n Cheese. And makes you look like a fucking top notch chef.

Just don't over cook it.

Tuna tastes terrible overcooked. You might as well just send her home. If you overcook tuna, you've failed. And if you undercook tuna...well...quit you're day job because you're now a novice sushi chef. Undercooked seafood = sushi (every yuppie is eating sushi, unlike chicken or pork, undercooking fresh fish won't get her sick. I promise).

Tonight I cooked Tuna tataki. Tuna tataki is really just fancy wording for quickly seared, but it just sounds a little more impressive and exotic...

Here's my utterly simple recipe:

Ingredients

• 8oz Sashimi Grade Tuna
• Sesame Seeds
• My Asian Marinade
• Cast Iron Skillet (any skillet will do, but the cast iron is nice...)
• Ground Pepper

I'm all for a simple dry-rub on fish and meat. Tuna especially does well with cajun seasoning, blackening season, a sesame/ginger/orange spice, or just salt and pepper; however, tonight, I decided to do a marinade. Since I was going to sear the tuna pretty quickly, I was hoping the marinade would absorb into the uncooked tuna and help enhance the flavor. I was right and it was an impressive....

Marinated tuna with sesame seeds

1) Prepare the 3rd Date Cooking Asian Marinade (Here's the link to the recipe)
2) Soak the tuna in the marinade for 20 minutes
3) Sprinkle seasme seeds (mostly for show, lets be honest) and ground pepper on both sides of the tuna
4) Heat a cast-iron skillet to high. Wait 3-5 minutes for the skillet to be really hot.
5) Place tuna in the skillet. Cook times:

• 30 seconds covered. Flip
• 30 seconds uncovered
• 15 seconds each of the three edges (use tongs)
• Done.

Cooked Tuna. Ready to be cut.

6) Take a really sharp knife and cut the tuna against the grain - that way each piece will easily break apart. (You can see the lines in the photos).

Sliced against the grain

7) Pat yourself on the back. You're establishing your seafood repertoire.

Tuna Tataki with ponzu dipping sauce