Sesame-Crusted Ahi Poke Plate with Ponzu

 

This turned out a bit better than we were hoping. We decided to plate it instead of bowl it to play with presentation a little.

There are only two things that are cooked in this picture, and they are together at the bottom: the Rice and Ahi Tuna Steak. Everything else is fresh and cut small enough to eat.

We won't tell you what kind of veggies or rice to use in this recipe: you can see what we chose, and you should tailor it all to what you prefer while taking nutritional content into consideration. If you don't like rice, this same concept can be applied to noodles (ramen included). We won't give you amounts either. Ahi steaks come in a range of cut shapes and sizes, so you get what you get at the grocery store. We serve one steak per person and try to balance the size of the steaks available to the appetites of the people eating. Same with rice and veggie servings. The plate above is a large dinner plate.

Here is the recipe for the Ponzu:

We used rice cooking wine (Shaoxing) in place of something actually branded mirin. This gave the Ponzu a slightly thinner consistency, allowing it to get mixed down into our veggies easier and quicker, while toning down the sweetness of the flavor profile. 

The Ahi steaks should be the absolute last thing you put hands on when making this recipe. 

Read that again. 

Yes, that means you should already have the rice cooked, the veggies cut and on the plates, as well as the Ponzu made and ready to go. It's the same if you are taking the noodles / ramen route with this concept: meat last.

1. The first step in searing the Ahi is to put a skillet or griddle top on the stove and get it nice and hot. We use cast iron for the best outcome. Now put some oil of your choice in the skillet. You'll want to stay away from oils that hijack the flavor spotlight from the Ahi steaks (butter?! WHY?!). We used toasted sesame most recently, and greatly enjoyed how it augmented the flavors of the meat as well as the sesame crust, but have done this with other oils as well (sesame, coconut, avocado, etc.). 
2. While the skillet is heating, put a layer of sesame seeds in a dish big enough to fit your steaks. Try to make it just thick enough so you can't see the bottom of the dish at all.
3. Next take the Ahi steaks out of the packaging and press them into the bed of sesame seeds. Do them one at a time or in batches, if need be, based on your equipment. You want to use the Ahi's natural moisture to get the sesame crust to stick: this means you should not be rinsing them off or patting them with a towel before putting them in the sesame seed dish. Trust that this is how we get the best outcome from this effort, in terms of both texture and flavor. You should only be coating the sides with the most surface area, as those are the ones you will be searing and the sides with the least surface area will show you how done it is getting while in the skillet.
4. Hopefully, the skillet is hot enough to cook on now. Does the oil in it have a sheen to it? It does? Perfect. If it doesn't, the skillet isn't hot enough. If the oil is smoking, or you add some oil and it jumps and pops, then the skillet is too hot and needs to cool down a little. 
5. If the skillet is in the "Goldilocks" zone of temperature (the oil has a sheen and isn't smoking), put the Ahi steaks into cook, with the largest surface area against the skillet. If you have a big enough skillet, you can do more than one at a time: just make sure have an inch (or so: more is better) of space between them, because crowding the skillet will throw the texture off due to the moisture being slowed from escaping the meat by the crowding, so the steaks kind of steam each other in the process of cooking. 
6. As each Ahi steak cooks, keep the order you placed them in mind and a keen eye on the color change of the meat by watching a side with small surface area. Flip when the first side is done to your liking. When the other side is done to your liking, pull it out and place it on a paper towel. The color gradient you see in the cooked Ahi steak corresponds to the texture gradient you will experience when eating it.
7. This is key for all cooked meats: let the meat rest a couple of minutes before cutting and serving. If you cut it while it is too hot the texture will be not great as a result of too much moisture escaping. It continues cooking for a minute or two after you pull it and let it rest.
8. Slice the rested steaks against the grain, as thick or thin as you prefer, and serve as you wish. As you can see, we prefer the beefy London Broil style slices. Enjoy this adventure in flavor and texture with your favorite combinations of rice grain or noodles and veggies. This recipe is good with Tataki sauce as well as ramen broth. 

Eat like your life depends on it: while you're at it, you might as well make it enjoyable.

Stay tuned for our future project: Crispy Chashu Medallions in Bone Broth Ramen.

(^Just an explainer for the uninitiated: we aren't using this recipe^)