Tuna Tacitos
I am a full time working mom who has no extra time to spare. Every day of the week is planned out from advance. Each Sunday, I sit down for 20 minutes to map out what my food plan is for the week ahead. To make my life easier, I purchase all my food at that very moment from my Fresh Direct app. They offer a great rating system on all fresh produce that helps you figure out what is best to buy for that week. I can also map my menu around what is freshest that week.
I don’t like spending too much time cooking my weeknight meals. This is not the time to play around. Let’s get a clean straightforward meal on the table that highlights amazingly fresh ingredients and needs very little prep time. It’s rare that I will make anything during the week that requires more than 45 minutes from start to finish – with a goal of keeping it under 30 minutes. This dinner definitely follows these guidelines.
The menu here is a seared yellow fin tuna layered with fresh avocado, soy sauce and sesame oil all in a white corn tortilla. The tortilla and avocado make it more appealing for my son, and my husband thinks he is eating food from a trendy Asian food truck in Union Square. I serve it with my favorite dressed green salad and sautéed garlic broccoli. This meal is super fast to make - with the tuna tacitos taking all of 8 minutes.
Tuna Tacitos
Yield: 6 or 7 tacitos
Rating: So good. So fast. And really impressive. Something you would eat at a restaurant.
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Ingredients:
2 - 10 ounce pieces sushi grade yellow fin or blue fin tuna (I usually plan for about 3 ounces per taco, allowing for 2 small tacos per person, so adjust accordingly)
2 tablespoons neutral oil (like canola, grapeseed, safflower or avocado oil)
1 teaspoon kosher salt ( ¼ teaspoon salt per side of fish)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( 1/8 teaspoon per side of fish)
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari sauce
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 avocado, sliced thin
6-7 soft corn or flour tortillas (I like the smaller size - not the huge wraps)
Directions:
Blot dry your tuna steaks with paper towels, and set the fish down on a platter. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper on each side of the fish. (Feel free to add extra pepper if you want - it’s not so strong once it is cooked.) Heat your neutral oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. To ensure your pan is hot enough, touch a corner of the tuna into the pan and see if it sizzles. If not, give it another minute to heat up. When the oil is hot, place 2 steaks at a time in your large pan. Cook 30 seconds per side and remove from the oil and place on a clean platter. Drizzle the soy sauce and sesame oil on both sides of the tuna. Slice the steaks against the grain. (Opposite direction for which the natural lines on the tuna go.) To toast the taco, put a flame on to medium-low. Put your tortilla directly over the flame until you see a little smoke or air bubbles begin to rise. Using your fingers (carefully) or a pair of tongs, flip the tortilla to toast the other side. You are just looking to add a couple of dark/black spots - don't light it up like a torch. When it's ready, Place 3 slices of tuna steak with 3 slices of avocado into the taco. You can add a little more soy sauce if you prefer.
Optional additions:
Feel free to sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and hot pepper flakes into your taco.
Plan Ahead:
This dish is made when you are ready to eat. There’s not much planning ahead here.
