Ahi is one of my most favorite fish. It is best eaten raw or very rare. Raw or rare, it has a beautiful deep red color and a silky texture. When it’s cooked, however, it turns dry, rubbery, and tough–like canned tuna without the oil. Yuck. It’s too expensive and way to good raw/rare to do that do a good piece of Ahi.
The difficulty with serving Ahi seared is how much cooking is too much? It’s a split second from silky to tough. How to get that great texture, but still get the middle warm? Here’s your recipe….
Ingredients
- 1 Ahi Steak about 3/4″ thick
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds (poppyseeds can also be substituted so long as you don’t have an upcoming drug test!)
- 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Remove the Ahi from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before you intend to cook it (see #1 under “How Not Screw It Up Below”)
- Using your hands, rub the outside of the Ahi with the olive oil to coat it evenly on all sides.
- Mix the seeds in a small mixing bowl.
- Add the olive-oil coated Ahi and toss to coat it evenly with the seeds.
- Heat a saute pan over high heat (See #2 below) until it is very hot.
- Add the Ahi. Sear for 1 minute and 30 seconds per side.
- Remove the Ahi and slice thinly to serve.
How Not to Screw It Up
- Setting the Ahi out 20-30 minutes before cooking helps to bring it closer to room temperature. This way, it takes less cooking time to warm the middle and less risk of crossing the line to overcooked.
- Give the pan several minutes on high heat before you lay down the Ahi. The pan needs to be as hot as it is going to get before you start your sear.
Related Recipe: Ahi Ceviche
