Ahi Tuna Slider With Kimchi And Cucumber Recipes

NORI-CURED AHI TUNA ON BAMBOO SPOON

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine salt, sugar, togarashi, and pulverized nori. Stir in tuna to coat, cover and refrigerate about 2 hours to lightly cure. Divide into 8 even portions and place on flat bamboo spoons. Drizzle with ginger soy syrup.
• In a pan lightly coated with oil, combine garlic, ginger, and scallions over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and let sweat. Deglaze pan with soy sauce, honey and lime juice. Let reduce by 30 percent to 40 percent until the mixture becomes a syrup, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool and transfer to a bottle. Store in the refrigerator.

POKE (AHI TUNA)

Steps:

• Cut the raw tuna in tiny cubes. Season, to taste, with alaea. Chop the ogo and add to the tuna along with garlic, scallions, and crushed red pepper. Garnish with inamona or cashews. Toss and serve cold on demitasse spoons or on crackers.

TUNA TARTARE IN A CUCUMBER BOAT TOPPED WITH CAVIAR

Steps:

• With a heavy sharp knife, chop tuna into very small slices. In a mixing bowl, combine tuna, chives, capers, shallots, lemon juice, oil, salt and freshly ground pepper and chill for 1 hour. While tuna is chilling, prepare cucumber boats. Peel cucumber and cut into 2-inch long cylinders. With a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds from inside the cucumber disk without touching the very bottom of the cucumber. (In other words, leave a "bottom" in the hollowed-out center of the cucumber.) Season cucumber with salt and pepper. Fill with 1-ounce of tuna tartare. Top with 1/8 teaspoon of caviar. Finish with a sprig of parsley.

SEARED BLACK & WHITE SESAME-CRUSTED AHI TUNA SLIDERS

Steps:

• Combine black and white sesame seeds in bowl. Dredge tuna in seed mix, rolling gently to cover completely.
• Heat olive and sesame oils in large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium and place tuna in pan, searing until white seeds are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn carefully so seeds don't fall off. Cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes.
• Place tuna on bottom halves of rolls. Top each one with sweet wasabi ketchup. Cover with toll tops and serve.

CUCUMBER KIMCHI

Steps:

• Mix 8 cups water with 3/4 cup salt, stirring until the salt dissolves to make a brine.
• Cut about 1/4 inch from each end of the cucumbers. Cut the cucumbers in half in the middle, not lengthwise. Hold the cucumber facing the circular middle. Cut them in half lengthwise, leaving about 1/2 inch at the end uncut. Cut them in half lengthwise again, perpendicular to your first cut, leaving the end uncut. You should have 4 semi-equal parts of cucumber, cut but still attached. Make two incisions, about 1/2 inch deep, on the top of the cucumber piece, then cut two more perpendicular to create a 3-by-3 grid. Repeat on all ends. This will help the cucumber catch and absorb the flavors. Repeat with the remaining cucumbers.
• Soak the cucumbers in the saltwater for 30 minutes, no longer. Remove the cucumbers from the brine. Combine the onion, green onions, garlic chives, garlic, ground chile, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon optional sugar in a large bowl. I recommend wearing gloves for this.
• Set three 1-quart jars on your work surface. Using your fingers, separate the cucumber quarters and stuff the chile mix into the cucumbers. Divide them evenly among the jars, pressing the cucumbers down firmly into the jars, so that all of the cucumbers are standing up, filling towards towards the top.
• Stir 1 teaspoon of sugar into 1/3 cup water until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the sugar water over the cucumbers.
• Let it sit 1 day, at room temperature, before serving. Cucumber kimchi ferments very quickly. Refrigerate after opening and consume within 3 to 4 days.