A few weeks ago Neil and I stopped into a mid-range restaurant to grab a quick weeknight dinner. It wasn’t anywhere fancy (and it shall remain nameless) but it was nice enough to expect that the $15-$26 mains should come to the table well-cooked, well-seasoned and well, in restaurant-quality shape. When the $16 tuna wrap promising “seared ahi tuna, asian slaw & wasabi aioli” showed up, we squinted in an attempt to find the scarce pieces of cold tuna stuffed inside the oversized, overly-bready wrap, could barely detect any Asian flavors in the ‘slaw’, and couldn’t taste or see even a hint of wasabi aioli. We were peeved. Where was the flavor? The effort? The tuna?!
My tolerance for mediocre restaurant food is reaching new lows.
I looked at Neil and said “for WAY less than $16 bucks, we could make this ourselves at home and actually do it right”.
So we did. With a few twists. And it was fabulous.
Here’s a surprisingly easy weeknight do-it-yourself meal that’s full of flavor and tastes even better the next day wrapped up for a satisfying lunch.
Seared Tuna Wraps with Mango, Asian Slaw & Creamy Sriracha Sauce
For the Asian Slaw:
Cabbage & carrot, shredded (or for super ease use a packaged pre-chopped slaw)
Grated ginger
2 green onions, chopped
Juice of half a lime
A few splashes of Mirin or rice wine vinegar
A few splashes of soy sauce
A couple of small splashes of sesame oil
Pepper
Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
Creamy Sriracha Sauce:
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 Tbsp low fat mayo
Chives, chopped
Zest of half a lime
Juice of half a lime or lemon
A few squirts of Sriracha – start with small amount and keep adding to adjust the level of heat to your taste
Sea salt to taste
Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a small bowl. Add in a few small squirts of sriracha at a time, starting with a small amount and adjusting the level of heat to your taste. Season with sea salt. Set aside.
For the Seared Tuna:
1 tuna steak – big enough for two people to share
Canola oil
Ground pepper & sea salt
Rub the tuna with a bit of canola oil and a little bit of salt on both sides. Add a good amount of pepper to coat both sides.
Heat pan on medium-high heat until it’s really hot and then add the tuna to sear it. Cook for approx 2-2.5 min a side and remove from heat promptly so it doesn’t overcook or cook through. Let it rest for a few minutes and then slice into it. It should be rare on the inside. Slice into thin strips.
Slice one whole mango into thin strips, squeeze the juice of one lime overtop and set aside.
Warm a few whole-wheat tortillas.
Garnishes:
Lime Wedges
Chopped cilantro (*which we didn’t have, but wished we did. It would have been the perfect finishing touch)
Place a good amount of Asian slaw onto each tortilla, top with seared tuna slices, mango & creamy sriracha sauce. Fold & eat!
Communal Table 