So, I've been in a bit of a slump this week (sometimes January gets me down), and I decided that in order to cheer myself up, I would go to the St. Lawrence Market. As we all know, I love the farmer's market. It is relaxing and pleasant, and puts me in a solidly good mood. Today, as I perused the market, I decided I would treat myself to some exceptional sashimi grade tuna. From there, I put together a salad in my mind that would prove to be pretty much the best salad I've ever eaten. Ever. No exaggeration.
So, I thought I'd share it with you guys.
First, cough up the money for some exceptional sashimi grade tuna. The tuna steak I bought cost me $20 (for two meals worth of tuna), which was worth every penny. Then, I bought some baby greens fresh from the grower. Then, I picked up a perfect avocado and an atulfo mango. YUM. Along with cucumber and red pepper, that formed the basis of my salad. Every part made a greater whole.
I marinated my tuna steak for several hours (about 3 or 4 I think). I made a marinade with:
1 tsp sesame oil
juice of one lime
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp mushroom soy sauce
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp ginger
Later on, when you're ready to eat (this salad really only takes about 20 minutes to prepare), get out all your ingredients and have fun!
Step 1: Put your lovely fresh baby greens in a small pile on the plate. Use the cucumbers to contain the pile by slicing them thinly and placing them in a circle.
Step 2: Peel and slice an atulfo (yellow) mango. My awesome roommate Chloe introduced me to this type of mango, and I've never gone back. I was never terribly fond of mango. It is fibrous, and didn't have the most appealing flavour in the world. Atulfo mangos are heaven. Really. Yum. They are like yummy mango butter. Place your mango decoratively around the cucumber (one mango per salad, unless its huge, then use your judgement. Maybe half, in that case).
Cut your avocado in half (use one half per salad). This avocado was probably the most perfect avocado I've bought in a store in Canada (though it still doesn't quite reach the level of the avos in Chile. YUM). Slice your avo and arrange decoratively on the salad.
Thinly slice your red pepper (red pepper is probably my favourite vegetable), and arrange it decoratively on the salad. Doesn't this salad look kind of like an artistic interpretation of sunshine?
Ok, now for the cooking step. Heat a skillet on the stove until it gets very hot. I added a thin layer of sesame oil to the skillet. Pan sear your tuna steak for 20-30 seconds on both sides. It is supposed to be just cooked on the outside and still raw on the inside. mmmmm... Remove from the pan. Ask.com told me that tuna will continue to cook once out of the pan, so be very careful not to overcook your tuna. Don't be scared though. This was the first time I made really good tuna, and it turned out like heaven! Or, as my roommate said 'OMG Ashley, its like candy!' But not cause its sweet, because its that damn good!
I made a dressing out of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy and maple syrup. If I had more lime, I would have used that too.
I added some pine nuts to the middle of the salad, laid out my tuna and dressed my yummy creation!
My gourmand sister says, 'first, the eye must feast', and indeed, this was not only the best salad I've ever tasted, but one of the prettiest too.
People often have a hate-on for salad as a meal. Clearly, they've never eaten this salad. One of my roommates has often said that she's not a fan of any salad but mine. I try to explain that there isn't a trick. She doesn't seem convinced. When I present a salad like this though, I realize that there is a trick: high quality ingredients, and the pleasure of creation.
Oh, and btw, a piece of sashimi grade tuna with a piece of atulfo mango and a piece of really good avocado produces a foodgasm. Prepare yourself. OMG its so good.
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