Ahi Tuna Burgers!

Its funny .... of the three sisters, I was the one who was convinced I would be terrible at trying to keep up with this blog.. throwing in my two cents and what not.. and here I am, almost a month after we set it up and I'm the first one to post! Shame on you sisters, for making me be the first!

Anyway... on to my recipe. I came up with this recipe after hearing Brandon rave about the Ahi Tuna Burgers at Bricktops, which I have never had, and my new addition to the kitchen, my Breville Panini Grill! So after getting Brandon's description of the Burger, I decided to try and match it. So here goes:

Ahi Tuna Burgers
serves 2

Ingredients:
2 6-8oz sashimi grade tuna steaks
1T ginger, freshly grated
coarse sea salt, to taste
ponzu sauce
2 kaiser rolls
1/4c mayo
1T wasabi powder

1. Chop the tuna steaks into large chunks and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, you can make up your wasabi mayo. Simply mix the wasabi powder in with the mayo and set aside. This is one of those ingredients that you'll want to taste and add more or less, depending on how hot/strong you want it. Set Aside.

3. Remove the tuna chunks from your freezer and place half of it into a food processor. Pulse 3-4 times to grind the tuna. Repeat with remaining tuna chunks. Be careful! Do not over-pulse or you will turn this into a huge mess!

4. Mix the fresh grated ginger in with the tuna, again... this is an ingredient you can add more or less of, depending on how strong you want the ginger to be. I say less is more in this case. Season with coarse sea salt to taste. Form into 2 burger patties and place on a plate and refridgerate for 30 minutes.

5. Heat your panini grill to 375 degrees (or if you don't have one, heat a skillet to med. high heat). In the case of the panini grill, no oil is necessary, but with a skillet you may need to spray it to keep the burger from sticking. Place the burgers on the grill and close the lid. Cook for about 2 minutes. You want to middle to be rare and the outsides to be seared.

6. Slice open your Kaiser rolls and spread a little of the wasabi mayo on them (you can toast the buns ahead of time if desired, this may help keep the buns from getting soggy from the buger).

7. Place the tuna burgers on the rolls and brush a little ponzu sauce on them to taste.

8. Time to enjoy! Serve with your favorite asian side dish (May i recommend the following recipe?)

Sauteed Broccoli and Bok Choy w/soy sauce
serves 4

Ingredients:
1lb Broccoli
1lb Bok Choy
2T vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1T freshly grated ginger
1-2 T soy sauce

1. Separate white stalks from the bok choy and cut into 1 inch pieces. Coarsely chop the green leaves.

2. Cut broccoli florets away from stalk and coarsely chop.

3. In large skillet, boil 1/2c water. Add bok choy and broccoli. Cover and simmer for roughly 5-7 minutes over low heat, until broccoli is bright green. Uncover and cook on high until water evaporates, 3-5 minutes.

4. Add oil, bok choy leaves, and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes to soften garlic.

5. Press ginger in a sieve over the skillet to release juices and add the soy sauce. Toss to combine. Serve warm.

So I know we're not an asian food loving family, but I really enjoyed this meal. Its simple, takes no time to make.. and its delicious. If anyone has suggestions on a good topping for the bugers, maybe some romaine lettuce... or an asian slaw of carrots, cabbage, and scallions... please share! As for now, we keep it simple, keep it healthy, keep it short, and always.. keep it semi-homemade. Now let me tell you about my tablescapes!
ha ha ha.. just kidding.

seriously though, enjoy!

submitted by Lauren