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Ahi Tuna Appetizers
Tuna is an easy fish to work with, as long as you realize that overcooking it is the worst mistake you could make with fish. In fact that rule applies to any fish. Fish is less fatty than meat. Overcooking meat does not usually give you great results but overcooking tuna is worse because it comes out so dry! Tuna is great for sushi or sashimi (sushi without the rice) and it is also nice seared, like in the following recipe.
If you prefer, you can forget the searing and cut the tuna into smaller pieces. Then just combine it with the other ingredients. It will be raw but that is fine. Searing means just browning the outside. You can sear the whole piece of tuna if you like and then cut it up or just fry the individual pieces for half a minute, just to color the outer part. The inside will be cold and raw and the crunchy outside and chilled, fleshy inside is a great contrast.
This Asian style appetizer recipe is very impressive although it is seriously simple to make. You can probably get all the ingredients from a mainstream grocery store but if there is anything you cannot find, try an Asian food store. They will definitely have it all and might be able to tell you where to get sushi-grade tuna too. This grade of tuna just means it is suitable for eating raw because it is smooth, flavorful and not fatty or gristly.
Gourmet Wonton Stacks with Fresh Tuna
Ingredients -
1 ½ oz sushi-grade tuna, in 1 inch pieces
½ tablespoon green onion, green bits only, finely chopped
¼ clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon peeled, grated ginger
¼ teaspoon orange zest
¼ avocado, in ¼ inch cubes
½ tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
½ tablespoon cilantro
Baby salad leaves to garnish
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the wonton squares in half diagonally to make 12 triangles. Arrange them on the baking sheet. Spray the wontons with olive oil on one side or brush them lightly. Sprinkle sesame seeds on them and bake for about 6 minutes, until golden. These burn very quickly so keep an eye on them. Let the wontons cool, first for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then on a cooling rack. Sear the tuna for about half a minute or until it is browned on the outside only.
To make the tuna filling, combine the tuna, onions, sesame oil, soy sauce, orange zest, garlic, ginger, cilantro, and salt in a bowl. Mix everything together well. This will keep for a few hours but make sure the tuna is not left at room temperature for over 1 hour or for more than half an hour if the kitchen is hot.
When you are ready to serve these, add the avocado, and lime juice to the mixture (do not add them before). Place a teaspoon of the tuna mixture on each plate, top with a wonton triangle, add more tuna, another wonton triangle and some baby leaves (or cilantro) for garnish.
(Makes 6)
Wine Suggestion:
What Wine Goes with Ahi Tuna Appetizer
Serve these tuna appetizers with a California Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc. Either of these wines is bold enough to stand up to the strong tuna flavor and fruity enough to complement the other ingredients in the dish too. A White Grenache is also good with this dish if you like blush wines.
Photo Description:
Fresh tuna is a wonderful ingredient and it is versatile too. Canned tuna is fine for making certain recipes, such as pasta salad or easy sandwiches, but when you want to serve an impressive appetizer recipe, fresh tuna is one of the nicest ingredients you can use. Whether you use it raw or seared, this tasty fish is healthy and flavorful. Combined with colorful fresh ingredients, like in this ahi tuna appetizer recipe, tuna looks magnificent and is sure to wow any crowd. You will need to assemble these tuna appetizers just before serving them. They do not do well if you leave them sitting in the refrigerator because the wonton crisps will go soggy.
Working with Wonton Wrappers
Wonton wrappers contain egg, flour, salt and water and you can either fill them with your favorite filling and roll them up or crimp them, fry until crispy and serve them with an ahi tuna appetizer recipe or use them creatively. One example of being imaginative with wonton wrappers is making ravioli with them, swapping the usual pasta for wonton wrappers.
You will be able to see the filling inside because wonton wrappers are so light and delicate. They are very difficult to make and tend to come out too dry or too moist so store-bought wrappers are easier. You can cut these squares in half diagonally if you want to make triangles or crosswise for rectangle shapes.
More Exciting Uses for Wonton Wrappers
If you fancy making chips for dipping, instead of using your wonton wrappers in an ahi tuna appetizer recipe, lay diagonally cut ones on a cookie sheet and spray them with oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them and bake for seven minutes at 400 degrees F. You can serve the resulting crackers with any soft cheese or dip. You can also use wonton wrappers instead of no-cook noodles when making lasagna. Ensure that you do not have any ends sticking up without sauce on, because those will not cook.
You can also roll wonton wrappers through a pasta roller if you want them to be thinner. You can use them to make amazing shrimp dumplings. If you enjoy a good ahi tuna appetizer recipe, you should also like shrimp dumplings. Simply fill wonton wrappers with chopped raw shrimp, sesame oil, grated ginger and grated carrot, dampen the wonton wrapper edges and seal, and then steam them until they are done. Try Nutella and banana as the filling if you want to make something sweet.
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