This dish takes about 1 day of prep, mainly for pressing and drying the rice before frying. That time is mostly hands-off and worth the wait. Once the rice is ready, the rest of the dish comes together quickly and stays intentionally simple.
Seared Bluefin Tuna With Crispy Rice Cakes and Avocado Emulsion
Ingredients
Sushi Grade Tuna
- 225 g bluefin tuna 8 oz, sushi grade
- 1 tbsp algae oil or neutral oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- Salt to taste
Crispy Rice Cakes
- 450 g cooked white rice about 2 cups cooked
- 1 tbsp mirin optional
- Algae oil or neutral oil for pan frying
- Togarashi to taste
Avocado Emulsion
- 1 ripe avocado about 200 g total
- 120 ml water ½ cup, adjust as needed
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ tbsp jalapeño powder or ½ fresh jalapeño
- Salt to taste
Avocado Slices
- ½ avocado sliced thick
- Salad and Assembly
- Frisée washed and dried
- Lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky salt
- Puffed rice togarashi mix from previous post
- Pickled red onions as needed
Instructions
- Press cooked rice into a lined tray, drizzle with mirin if using, cover, weight down, and refrigerate overnight until firm. Cut into rectangles and refrigerate uncovered until dry. Pan-fry in hot oil until deeply golden and crisp. Season with salt and togarashi.
- Blend avocado, water, lemon juice, jalapeño, and salt until smooth and spoonable. Adjust seasoning and set aside.
- Slice remaining avocado into thick wedges and coat evenly in puffed rice togarashi.
- Lightly oil and season tuna with paprika and salt. Sear in a very hot pan for 5–10 seconds per side, just to form a crust. Slice cleanly.
- Dress frisée with lemon, olive oil, and salt. Arrange rice cakes on a chilled plate, top with tuna, and scatter avocado wedges. Spoon avocado emulsion in the center, swirl with olive oil, and finish with flaky salt and pickled red onions.