Sesame-Crusted Ponzu-Lime Tuna

As a member of foodbuzz.com Tastemaker program, I receive samples of new products hitting the market. One that I have received quite a while ago but took a while to find inspiration for its use was a ponzu dressing accented with the flavor of lime by Kikkoman. Ponzu is a Japanese citrus sauce. I anticipated a salty sauce reminiscent of soy sauce, however the flavor was mild with light orange and lime flavors. The bottle said food did not need to be marinaded in the sauce before cooking in order to impart the full flavor, you just needed to brush it on and cook. So, that's what I did with a couple of tuna steaks I had that needed something special done with them. I have seen tuna crusted in both black pepper and sesame seeds, so I combined these concepts and used sesame mixed with a small amount of coarsely-cracked black pepper to form a crust on the tuna.

I used a grill pan to cook my tuna steaks, and I love how it created a gradation of bronze tones on the sesame seeds, which become burnished and glossy once cooked. The black pepper's heat and the toasty sesame seeds were beautifully contrasted by the light citrusy sauce, all of which work together to accentuate the sweetness of the fish.





Sesame-Crusted Ponzu-Lime Tuna
Printable Recipe

2 4-oz tuna steaks
1/2 tbsp Kikkoman Ponzu Lime sauce, plus more for serving
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1/4 tsp coarsely-cracked black pepper
pinch coarse kosher salt
non-stick cooking spray

1. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Brush all the surfaces of the tuna with the Ponzu Lime sauce.
3. Combine the sesame seeds, pepper, and salt in a small plate. Press the two largest sides of the steaks into the sesame mixture.
4. Spray the grill pan of skillet with the non-stick spray and then add the fillets. Cook each steak until the seeds are tan to dark brown in spots on both sides of the steaks, keeping most of their interior pink and rare.
5. Allow the steaks to rest about 3 minutes before cutting into slices and arranging on plates. Drizzle more Ponzu Lime sauce over each steak before serving.

Servings per recipe: 2Per serving:Calories:237Fat: 9.4 gSaturated fat: 2.1 gCholesterol:56 mgSodium: 283 mgCarbohydrates: 1.5 gFiber: 0.6 gProtein: 35 g