Whether you are entertaining inside or out, these Spicy Tuna Avocado Cucumber Appetizers with Pickled Ginger are so elegant – they will wow your guests. Jeanette Chen of Jeanette’s Healthy Kitchen let her creative juices fly with this unique recipe. With our Sushi Grade Yellow Fin Tuna on special, what a great time to try out this appetizer. This makes approximately 60 pieces.
Spicy Tuna Avocado Cucumber Appetizer with Pickled Ginger
Ingredients
2 English cucumbers
2 avocados, halved and quartered, cut into ¼” thick slices (You can get about 40 pieces from one avocado)
fresh lemon juice
sea salt
Seared Furikake Coated Tuna
1½ pounds fresh ahi tuna, cut 1″ inch thick
½ cup furikaki
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Wasabi Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
2 teaspoons gluten-free soy sauce
Spicy Mayonnaise
¼ cup organic mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
Garnish
pickled ginger
toasted sesame seeds
shichimi togarashi (a Japanese spice powder), optional
finely minced fresh chives
Directions
Seared Furikake Coated Tuna
Cut tuna into long, even pieces, about 1 inch in width and height (you want a square surface area). Save irregular pieces of tuna for tuna tartare or other use. Place furikake, salt and pepper in a pie dish and mix together. Coat all sides of tuna in furikake mixture. Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat until hot. Place tuna pieces in pan and cook 30 seconds on each side until just brown. You want the tuna to remain raw inside. Remove from pan and let cool. You can refrigerate the tuna at this point until serving time (tuna should be used the same day as you purchase it). When ready to use, slice into ¼” slices (I got about 60 pieces from 1 pound of tuna)
Preparation of Ingredients
Score cucumbers lengthwise with a fork. Slice into ¼” rounds (you can slice these ahead of time and lay them on a paper towel; cover and refrigerate. Sprinkle avocado slices with a little fresh lemon juice and salt. In a small bowl, mix together wasabi powder and soy sauce. In another small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and sriracha sauce
Assembling the Appetizers
Lay cucumber rounds on a serving platter. Place a slice of avocado on each cucumber round. Top with a slice of tuna. Drizzle a tiny amount of the wasabi soy sauce on top. Top with a small dollop of sriracha mayonnaise. Place a small piece of pickled ginger on top. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds, shichimi togarashi and minced chives on top of appetizers and over platter.