Name: Seared Tuna With Marinated Vinegar Cucumbers and Sesame Recipe
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 2 tuna steaks (6 to 8 ounces each); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 4 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1/4 cup Chinese black vinegar or white wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon chili crisp; toasted sesame seeds; cooked white rice, for serving

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By Ben Mims

Jan. 5, 2023

Beautifully medium-rare tuna provides the ideal partner to crisp, cool cucumbers marinated in vinegar and chili crisp. The tuna — hot outside and cool inside — soaks up the cucumber marinade just as well and is ideally eaten atop a scoop of fresh-cooked rice.

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2 tuna steaks (6 to 8 ounces each)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 Persian cucumbers, cut into ½-inch pieces

¼ cup Chinese black vinegar or white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chili crisp

toasted sesame seeds

cooked white rice, for serving

Place the tuna steaks on paper towels to dry them thoroughly. Drizzle them with the oil and rub it evenly over the steaks. Season the tuna steaks on both sides liberally with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, toss the cucumbers with a generous pinch of salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Using your hand to catch the cucumbers, hold them in the bowl while you tip the bowl over to drain any excess liquid into the sink. Return the cucumbers to the bowl and stir in the vinegar and chili crisp.

Place a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook, flipping once halfway through, until seared and browned on the outside and cooked to medium-rare doneness, exactly 2 minutes per side. Remove the steaks from the skillet and transfer to a cutting board.

Slice the tuna steaks into thin strips and transfer to two serving plates along with the marinated cucumbers. Sprinkle everything with sesame seeds and serve as is or with rice.

Ben Mims

Ben Mims is a former cooking columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He has written three cookbooks and has worked as a food editor and recipe developer for several food media publications, such as Lucky Peach, Food & Wine, Saveur, Food Network and Buzzfeed/Tasty.