Seared Tuna and Cucumber Salad

The first time I tried this was in a rather unlikely location: a restaurant in Disney World! Surprisingly enough, it turns out that they do have restaurants there that serve an alternative to the omnipresent burgers and fries that you find everywhere else. When I got back home I immediately tried to copy the recipe and while I don't think that I achieved a perfect match, it's pretty close. Obviously this dish relies almost entirely on the quality of the fish, so you need to get the highest possible quality of sushi-tuna you can find. 

Ingredient (for 4 as main course):

For the tuna:

800-900gr sushi quality tuna

3 tbs Sesame seeds

2 tbs chopped coriander
3cm piece of fresh ginger

1 red chili

For the salad: 

1 handful roasted peanuts

2 cucumbers

1 small red onion

6 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 tbs fish sauce

2-3 tbs sugar

1/2 bunch of coriander

Juice of half a lime
1/2 red chili

Preparation:

1. Roast the sesame seeds in a dry pan. Finely chop the coriander, the chili and grate the ginger. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and add some salt. Coat the tuna with this mixture and set aside.

2. For the cucumber salad you first need to drain the cucumbers (they contain a lot of water, which will end up diluting the dressing). Finely slice the peeled cucumber, place them in a bowl and add two teaspoons of salt. Mix and set aside for 10mins. 

3. In the meantime, finely chop the onion. Add the vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and some chili to the onion and mix well until the sugar is fully dissolved. Drain the cucumbers (the salt will have pulled out much of the water) and add the dressing.

4. Heat up a pan to high heat, add a bit of sesame oil and sear the tuna on both sides for no more than one minute (each side). Remove from the pan and slice finely to serve.

5. Add coriander and chopped peanuts to the cucumber salad and season to taste. 

The tuna is served finely sliced with some rice and cucumber salad. You should also have soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger on the table.