NOT YOUR ORDINARY TUNA SANDWICH!

SEARED TUNA & AVOCADO ROLLS

This is an Ina Garten--The Barefoot Contessa--recipe. I admit, I love just about everything Ina does and this Tuna Roll did not disappoint. The two things that made it so special, other than the beautifully seared Ahi Tuna steaks, were the Chipotle mayo and the pickled shallots. I did not make the rolls, but got some very fresh sourdough rolls from the bakery.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. sushi grade tuna steak, sliced about 3/4 inch thick

Good quality olive olive; 1/4 cup plus more for brushing on tuna

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Grated zest of 1 lime

3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce

6 dashes Tabasco sauce 

1/4 cup minced fresh jalapeno (I didn't have fresh jalapeno so used a big dash of red pepper flake.)

1/4 cup minced scallions, both white and green parts; about 2 scallions

1 ripe avocado

1 shallot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2 Tbsp. good red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. butter

6 top-split hot dog-type rolls; split the rolls if they did not come pre-split

Chipolte Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

This Tuna Roll made my friend, Brenna Reilly, happy!
That makes me happy!

Preparation:

Heat a medium dry cast-iron skillet over high heat for 3 minutes. Brush the tuna, both sides with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over. Sear the tuna for exactly 1 minute on each side. The inside will be raw. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch dice.

In a large bowl combine 1/4 cup olive oil, the lime zest, lime juice, soy sauce, Tabasco, 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. (Ina uses 1 full tsp. black pepper.) Add the tuna, scallions and jalapeno or pepper flake. Stir gently so you don't break up the tuna pieces. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, peel and cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch dice. Carefully stir the avocado into the tuna mixture. Set aside for at least 20 minutes. I made this first thing in the morning and let it marinate until noon.

My husband Jerry loved these Tuna rolls,
but doesn't get quite as excited about
food as Brenna and I do!

FOR THE PICKLED SHALLOTS:

Combine sliced shallots and vinegar in a small bowl. I also added a few grinds of sea salt. Set aside. Again, I made the pickled shallots early so the flavors had a chance to really come together. 

Place the 2 Tbsp. of butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and heat until the butter sizzles. Without opening the buns, toast them on each side until nicely browned. Line the buns up on a platter, cut sides up, and spoon the tuna mixture into the buns. Drizzle with the chipolte mayo and sprinkle on the pickled shallots. Serve when the buns are still warm.

FOR THE CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

Ingredients:

1 cup mayo

1 canned chipolte pepper in adobo sauce

2 tsp. adobo sauce (I used 1 tsp.) from the can

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

I also added a big dash of smoked paprika.

Kosher salt to taste

Preparation:

Place the mayonnaise, chipolte pepper, adobo sauce, lime juice and 1 1/4 tsp. salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. This lasts in the fridge for up to a week. 

THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY FROM A RAINY 

DRIZZLING IRISH DAY!

TUNE IN AGAIN SOON...FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF...

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