Sesame-Crusted Tuna Sashimi with Wasabi Cream Sauce

For those who love sushi, this is a delicious appetizer, especially with the creamy wasabi sauce that adds a bit of zing to every bite. You can choose to cook the tuna more or less well-done, depending on your taste. Try to buy sushi-grade tuna steaks from reputable stores to make sure you get the freshest tuna that you can find.

Ingredients:

2 sushi-grade tuna steaks (6 to 8 ounces each)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds

1/2 cup toasted black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 ripe but firm Haas avocado, peeled and sliced thinly (optional; for garnish)

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (optional; for garnish)

Wasabi cream sauce (recipe follows)

Directions:

Combine and stir together the sesame seeds in a bowl. Pat dry the tuna steaks with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Roll the steaks in the sesame seeds until well-coated (discard unused sesame seeds).

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan. Add the tuna steaks and cook for 1 minute on each side for medium-rare (add another minute for medium). Slice the steaks thinly and arrange decoratively on serving platter.
Make the wasabi sauce; drizzle some on the tuna and some on the dish (decoratively); garnish with avocado slices and grape tomatoes, if using. Put the remaining wasabi sauce in a bowl and serve on the side. Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer.

Wasabi Cream Sauce

Makes about 1/2 cup

4 tablespoons sour cream

4 teaspoons wasabi powder

4 teaspoons wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.