Dining In Pieces

We’ve stripped a few 417-land dishes down to the raw ingredients that made last night’s dinner so darn delicious, and tell you how you might assemble them yourself.

(page 1 of 10)

Green Jasmine Tea–Encrusted Ahi Tuna

Bijan’s Sea & Grille

Green tea isn’t just a trend in the realm of teapots and saucers. Chef Jeremy Reed has been using green tea leaves as a tasty crust on beef, pork and most recently fish. Reed’s goal was to create an Asian dish with a light, summery feel, and he pairs the tuna with an Asian vinaigrette slaw and a wasabi potato cake. Reed’s technique is simple: “Take the best ingredients you have, do as little as possible to them, and let [the vegetables] speak for themselves.”

• The combination of ginger and cilantro adds a sweet tanginess while holding true to the dish’s main theme: freshness.
• The yellow, red and orange peppers add to the color of the dish while incorporating another level of sweetness into the slaw.
• Green tea gives the tuna a fresh, herbal taste without being overpowering.
• Sweet soy sauce is thicker, sweeter and lower in sodium than its regular counterpart.

Recipe

For green tea rub:
1 cup green tea
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon five spice powder
1 filet Ahi tuna

For apple Asian slaw:
½ cup bok choy, julienned
½ cup red cabbage, julienned
½ cup cabbage, julienned
3 carrots, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 cup daikon radish, julienned
½ Granny Smith apple, julienned
½ Red Delicious apple, julienned
½ Fuji apple, julienned

For Asian vinaigrette:
1 cup oyster sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup plum sauce
2 tablespoons lime zest
2 tablespoons hot mustard powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/8 cup fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon five spice powder
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
¼ cup rice vinegar

For potato cakes:
3 baking potatoes
Wasabi to taste
1 bulb roasted garlic, minced
½ stick of butter, softened
salt and pepper
¼ cup red bell pepper, julienned
¼ cup red onion, diced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, diced
¼ cup buttermilk
Japanese breadcrumbs
1 egg

To prepare green tea rub:
Mix all ingredients well, and seal in an airtight container.

To prepare Asian vinaigrette:
Bring all ingredients together in a bowl, and whisk thoroughly.

To prepare Asian slaw:
Combine all julienned vegetables in a large bowl. Toss with Asian vinaigrette to taste.

To prepare potato cakes:
Boil potatoes, and mash with all ingredients. Mix in some Japanese breadcrumbs to bind the mash together. Next, roll the potato pancake in an egg wash, and batter it with more bread crumbs. Fry at 350°F until golden brown.

To prepare tuna and plate:
Heat a skillet with olive oil. Season tuna liberally with green tea rub. When oil is hot, put tuna in the pan and sear all sides for about 10 seconds each. Slice on the bias, and place on potato pancake. Take the Asian apple slaw, and toss with vinaigrette.

Subscribe to 417 Magazine