Seared Sesame Tuna with Japanese Soba Noodle Salad

Bring on Summer!  This is exactly the sort of meal you WANT to be eating in warm weather and exactly the sort of meal you SHOULD be eating before warm weather.  Almost time for swimwear guys and gals and this refreshing, healthy salad is just the gear.  Who said low/cal low/fat had to be boring?

Serves 2

You will need

2 small tuna steaks (sashimi grade if you can get it but normal is fine)

2 tsp black sesame seeds*  

2 tsp white sesame seeds

2 x 90gm parcels of dried organic soba noodles*

1/2 a lebanese cucumber, halved and sliced diagonally

1/2 a punnet of snow pea sprouts, ends removed

1/2 an avocado, peeled and sliced

3 green onions, washed, tops removed and sliced diagonally (reserve some for garnish)

2 handfuls of sugar snap peas, tops removed

Japanese pickled ginger to garnish*

For the dressing:

1 tbs soy

1 tbs japanese rice wine vinegar

2 tbs mirin*

juice of 1 lime

11/2 tbs castor sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp wasabi paste

Brush the tuna steaks with a little oil.  Heat a fry pan until quite hot and sear the tuna on both sides for approx 1 minute (tuna should be pink in the middle).  Pop on a plate and cool.  Mix the sesame seeds together in a little bowl and scatter them on a sheet of baking paper.  When the tuna has cooled, press the tuna steaks onto the sesame seeds getting a nice even coverage all over.  Wrap the tuna steaks separately in cling wrap and place them in the fridge.  

In a large bowl, gently combine the green onions, cucumber, avocado and snowpea sprouts.  In a large saucepan, bring a litre of water to a rapid boil and cook the soba noodles for four minutes.  Add the sugar snap peas for the last minute and drain both before running under cold water to refresh.  Place the noodles and sugar snaps in the bowl with the other salad ingredients.  Toss gently to combine and drizzle with a tiny amount of sesame oil (not too much as it can overpower,  1/2 a tsp will be plenty).

For the dressing place all the ingredients in a jar with a screw top lid and shake really well to combine.

To assemble the salad, divide the noodle mix evenly between two plates.  Remove the tuna from the cling wrap, slice into thin pieces and drape over the noodles.  Top with a few slices of pickled ginger and  green onion and drizzle generously with the dressing.  Your taste buds and waist line will both be celebrating!

* Black sesame seeds are available at asian supermarkets and gourmet food shops.  I got the soba noodles (Hakubaku brand), Mirin and pickled ginger at Woolies in the asian food section.