Nori Wrapped Tuna

Nori, the seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls, is generally thought to be a one trick pony, if it's even thought of at all. People generally come across it as an addition to a sushi and ramen, but beyond that, one rarely sees use for it. I had bought a package of nori sheets to make sushi awhile back, and after reading a post about a nori crusted steak on Rooftop Gourmet I decided to use it with some fresh tuna steaks. It's surprisingly tasty on it's own. It has a very subtle salty flavor and has a lot of vitamins and other dietary benefits, so it makes for an interesting and healthy addition to a meal.

While very brittle when dry, it becomes very malleable and breaks down when wet, so wrapping it around a tuna steak is perfect because the nori sticks to the wet flesh of the tuna. I used about 1 sheet of nori per tuna steak and wrapped it up like a little fishy present.

To go along with the fish, I wanted to make some fried shrimp, so I battered and breaded 2 shrimp each in panko crumbs and fried them in canola oil. In addition to the shrimp, I steamed some baby bok choy over mirin and sake and made some white rice and spicy mayonnaise.

For the tuna, I heated a grill pan, and once hot, grilled the nori wrapped tuna steaks until the seaweed showed grill marks and the outside of the fish was just seared. I like my tuna to be very rare, so I only cooked each side about 3 minutes to sear the nori and the outside of the fish. As I cooked it, the nori became a second skin to the fish, and the flavor mixed perfectly. Once the dish was complete, it was like a maki roll, deconstructed on the plate. A bite with all of the components of the plate really felt like I was eating an interesting roll at a sushi restaurant!

 

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

2 1/3-1/2 lb tuna steaks

2 sheets of nori

2 shrimp

1 tablespoon flour

1 egg

2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup canola oil

2 baby bok choy

1/4 cup mirin

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 cup white rice

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon/tablespoon sriracha (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 teaspoon honey

To Cook:

1. Wrap the tuna with nori, and cut the extra seaweed with scissors
2. Dredge the shrimp in flour then egg then panko
3. Heat the canola oil on medium high and fry the shrimp in a small saucepan for about 2-3 minutes until golden - then let rest on paper towel to absorb the oil
4. Bring the mirin and soy to a boil and steam the bok choy until tender
5. Cook the rice (1 cup of water with a dash of white vinegar and sugar, boil, add rice, simmer for 20 minutes covered)
6. Mix the mayo, sriracha, and honey until smooth
7. Serve and enjoy!