Seaweed Salad and Ahi Tuna Appetizer

This Seaweed Salad and Ahi Tuna Appetizer is definitely going to impress your dinner party guests. The best part is how quick and simple this recipe makes it! Seaweed salad topped on bread toast, then topped with everything-bagel-seasoned seared ahi tuna slices, then drizzled with subtly spicy ginger and soy sauce dressing. Such a great appetizer!

Like the tuna in our Tuna with Sundried Tomatoes and Figs recipe, it does not take long to sear. Just a few minutes and it's done. Then all it takes is just a little assembly.

The Ingredients:

• Bread: white bread is best. But, you can of course use any bread you like. Whole wheat, multigrain, sourdough. A french baguette would work great too. I don't recommend using sweeter bread, such as brioche or hallah.
  
• Soy Sauce: any soy sauce will work. Even the sweeter kind. I personally prefer the all-purpose Kikkoman soy sauce. It has a medium salty taste and works great in many dishes. So, you can definitely use it later in many other recipes.
  
• Fresh Ginger: a little fresh ginger goes a long way! Freshly grated ginger mixed with the soy sauce and drizzled over the steak adds so much flavor.
  
• Cilantro: optional, but highly recommended. It adds a little more fresh flavor to the dish. Great for presentation too! But, a little bit of fresh dill or green onion can be used as a substitute if you don't like that cilantro flavor.
  
• Olive Oil: extra virgin olive oil
  
• Everything Bagel Seasoning: In one seasoning mix we get the perfect blend of salt, onion, garlic, poppy seeds, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds. One teaspoon of this seasoning is plenty because it does get a little too salty if you add more.
  
  
  
• Ahi Tuna Steak: Also known as Yellowfin tuna. It may be purchased in most grocery stores - fresh or frozen. I purchase the steaks in Costco. They come in a vacuum-sealed package of six individually frozen portions. You can thaw the steak in the refrigerator overnight or by placing it in a bowl with cold water. It will take about 30 minutes to defrost in the bowl.
  
  
  
• Seaweed Salad: I get seaweed salad in Costco as well. But you can find this in a grocery store too. You don't really need much and Costco seaweed salad does come in a large package. So, unless you will be enjoying it on its own later, or in another recipe, you can definitely purchase the salad in a smaller package.

Searing the tuna steaks:

Tuna is best served when lightly seared, leaving it slightly raw in the middle. Like a medium-rare beef steak!

It is best to use a nonstick pan or skillet and preheat it on high before adding the tuna. The pan needs to be hot! So when you add the steak you can hear the sizzle (it's an amazing sound too)! Depending on the size and thickness of the tuna steak, it usually takes about 2 minutes to sear each side. If the steak is thinner, it may only need to be seared for about 1 minute per side. This way you will get a nicely browned steak on the outside and a more rare steak on the inside.

The best indicator of doneness to your liking is to look at the side of the fish and see how much it cooked through. If you prefer a more rare steak, the seared part of the tuna will be much thinner than the raw part.

Preparation:

1. Toast four slices of bread in the toaster, until slightly browned and crispy. Cut each slice in half and set it aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Set aside.
3. Prepare the tuna: Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. In a small mixing bowl (large enough to fit your steak) combine 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with 1 teaspoon of everything bagel seasoning. Mix well. Dip the steak into the bowl to fully coat both sides of the fish.
4. Heat a saute pan to high heat. There is no need to add oil. Once the pan is hot, reduce heat to medium-high. Sear the tuna steak for approximately 2 minutes per side. Transfer onto a cutting board and allow to cool for approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
5. While the steak is cooling, top each half slice of the toasted bread with about one heaping teaspoon of seaweed salad.
6. Slice the tuna into 8 thin strips and place each strip on top of each toasted bread and seaweed salad slice. Use a teaspoon to drizzle the ginger and soy sauce mixture over each slice, being careful not to overpour and make the bread soggy.

Other appetizer ideas:

Recipe

Seaweed Salad and Ahi Tuna Appetizer

Irina

This Seaweed Salad and Ahi Tuna Appetizer is definitely going to impress your dinner party guests. The best part is how quick and simple this recipe makes it! 

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 90 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 slices white bread toasted and cut in half lengthwise
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce of your choice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro finely chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon everything bagel seasoning
• ▢ 4 oz. ahi tuna steak yellowfin tuna
• ▢ 8 heaping teaspoons seaweed salad

Instructions

• Toast four slices of bread in the toaster, until slightly browned and crispy. Cut each slice in half and set it aside.
• In a small mixing bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Set aside.
• Prepare the tuna: Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. In a small mixing bowl (large enough to fit your tuna steak) combine 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with 1 teaspoon of everything bagel seasoning. Mix well. Dip the tuna steak into the bowl to fully coat both sides of the fish.
• Heat a saute pan to high heat. There is no need to add oil. Once the pan is hot, reduce heat to medium-high. Sear the tuna steak for approximately 2 minutes per side. Transfer tuna onto a cutting board and allow to cool for approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
• While the tuna steak is cooling, top each half slice of the toasted bread with about one heaping teaspoon of seaweed salad.
• Slice the tuna into 8 thin strips and place each strip on top of each toasted bread and seaweed salad slice. Use a teaspoon to drizzle the ginger and soy sauce mixture over each tuna slice, being careful not to overpour and make the bread soggy.

Notes

• If the steak is thinner, it may only need to be seared for about 1 minute per side.
• The best indicator of doneness to your liking is to look at the side of the tuna and see how much it cooked through. If you prefer a more rare tuna steak, the seared part of the tuna will be much thinner than the raw part.
• The appetizers are best when consumed within a few hours, otherwise, the bread does become soggy.

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 5gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 355mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 316IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

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