Ahi Tuna Tacos

Need one last meatless meal idea for Good Friday tonight? Looking for an appetizer recipe to wow your family Easter Sunday? Or do you just love ahi tuna and/or tacos? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this recipe is a must try! You can make it as an entrée using full size taco shells or an appetizer using mini taco shells. I could make this recipe once a week and never get sick of it! Ahi tuna is by far my favorite food. Whether it's by itself, in a taco, or sushi I love it all. And who doesn't love tacos?

I use Bigeye, Yellowfin, or any sushi grade tuna from a Japanese market for this dish. You can use regular tuna steaks from the grocery store as well but sushi grade will definitely give you a better quality fish. In order to make this recipe, I season the tuna with a taco seasoning, sear it in some olive oil, and slice it into thin strips. To top it off, I make an Asian slaw and pico de gallo as well as sriracha and wasabi cream sauces with slices of avocado.

To make the Asian slaw, I start out by making a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. I mix together cilantro, fresh lime juice, diced jalapeno pepper, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and vegetable oil. I use my Veggetti Pro spiralizer to chop up my red cabbage on the thick spiral setting. If you don't have a spiralizer, just chop the cabbage into thin strips. Trust me though, it's way easier and WAY faster using a spiralizer!

Add your cilantro-lime vinaigrette to the bowl with your chopped cabbage. Add two tablespoons of sriracha and mix well. Your Asian slaw is now ready for serving!

Next, make your pico de gallo. Chop up some fresh tomato, cilantro, sweet onion, and jalapeno. Mix it together with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

It's time to make your tuna! If you have a large piece of tuna, cut it in half. It is easier to sear this way. Season the tuna generously with a homemade or store bought taco seasoning on all sides. I use a homemade mixture of chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the tuna and sear on the top and bottom for one minute each. Sear all other sides for about 10 seconds each.

Once the tuna has cooled enough to handle, slice into thin strips. It should be warm throughout but have a very red interior. It's a common misconception that you should cook your tuna well-done if you don't love the taste of fish/don't want it to taste fishy. It's actually the opposite. The longer you cook tuna the more fishy the taste will become. Searing it/cooking it rare is definitely the way to go. With tuna, especially if you buy sushi grade, you can even eat it raw, and it will taste great!

Prepare your sriracha and wasabi creams. You can make one or the other, but I make both because I prefer the wasabi and my boyfriend prefers the sriracha. Simply mix together some sour cream, fresh lime juice, cilantro, and then either your sriracha or wasabi paste.

Assemble your tacos with all your prepared toppings plus some slices of avocado! I serve these tacos with my Cilantro-Lime Rice. (Now you guys see why I posted that recipe earlier this week!) 😉 Enjoy and have a fantastic Easter!

Ahi Tuna Tacos

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Hard taco shells (big or small)
• 8 oz tuna filet (sushi grade preferred)
• 1½ tbs. taco seasoning, homemade or store bought
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• Asian slaw: half of one small red cabbage (chopped), 2 tbs. fresh lime juice, ¼ cup cilantro, 1 tsp. jalapeno (diced), ¼ tsp. ground cumin, ¼ tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 tbs. sriracha.
• Pico de Gallo: 1 medium-sized tomato (diced), ½ sweet onion (diced), 1 tsp. jalapeno (diced), 1 tbs. cilantro, dash of garlic powder, salt, pepper, squeeze of fresh lime juice.
• Wasabi and/or sriracha cream: ¼ cup sour cream, 1 tsp. fresh lime juice, 1 tsp. cilantro, 1 tsp. sriracha or wasabi paste.

Instructions

1. Prepare Asian slaw by mixing together a cilantro-lime vinaigrette (lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder, sugar, salt, pepper, rice wine vinegar, and vegetable oil). Add to the bowl of chopped cabbage with sriracha and mix.
2. Prepare pico de gallo by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
3. Prepare wasabi and/or sriracha cream.
4. Cut tuna filet in half.
5. Season generously with taco seasoning on all sides. Mine is a homemade mixture of chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.
6. Heat 1 tbs. olive oil over medium heat until warm.
7. Sear tuna on top and bottom for one minute each. Sear on all other sides for 10 seconds each.
8. Let cool then slice very thin.
9. Warm taco shells in oven.
10. Assemble tacos with tuna, slaw, pico de gallo, avocado, wasabi/sriracha cream.
11. Serve with Cilantro-Lime Rice.

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