Pan Seared Ahi Avocado Salad

This was quick and easy, which was what I needed after a long day at work and kids waiting in the wings at home. I picked up a quick rotisserie chicken and some raviolis and with some broccoli in the fridge, I’ll whip up a quick late dinner, considering I was walking in the door well past 7pm. The girls are used to it, I always joke with them…”It’s european time” they eat at 10pm. You are probably wondering what this has to do with Pan Seared Ahi Avocado Salad…

I open the fridge to get the pasta sauce and broccoli and I notice the beautiful piece of Ahi we had picked up the day before on the coast. Argh! The girls don’t eat fish and I HAD to cook it or it would go bad… so with another big sigh I wondered what to do with the fish after I got the kids their chicken, ravioli and marinara sauce with a side of steamed broccoli…

Here is what I did…

Fish
1 Ahi steak (mine was about a 1/2 lb)
Extra Virgin Olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper

Dressing
1/8 cup EVOO
1 Lime squeezed – about 3-4 Tbsp lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1/2 tsp Wasabi powder
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp Sugar couple pinches
Shallots thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Green onions
Sesame seeds
1 avocado cubed
Hot sauce to taste Sriracha, Chulula or Tabasco

Lightly rub the Ahi with some EVOO and give it a good shot of salt and pepper. Heat a grill pan for a minute on high. Add the fish to the dry hot pan and do not touch it for about 2 minutes, turn and cook for approximately 2 additional minutes. The time varies somewhat with thickness and heat. You want the fish to seared on the outside and raw on the inside. Cut the fish into bite side pieces. (Better yet, I would have grilled this over hot mesquite coals, but it’s the middle of winter)

If your sesame seeds are not toasted, toast them now in the hot dry pan. Keep an eye on them! I’ve also used black sesame seeds and skipped the toasting. Zest lime and juice it.

In a small bowl whisk to emulsify the EVOO,  lime juice, lime zest, wasabi, soy sauce, hot sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the shallots and cubed avocados. Taste it and adjust salt, pepper or sugar to balance. Toss the avocados in the dressing. Combine the ahi and the dressing, plate it and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, Serves 1

Let me know what you think…