On Hawaiian Ahi...

About three weeks ago I changed the tuna dish on our dinner menu. To say that I wasn't a big fan of the dish as a whole would be an understatement. I found it to be lacking in creativity, it consisted of wok fired vegetables and a wasabi beurre blanc. There was nothing special or original about the dish. In fact I would even say that the entire island serves tuna in similar fashion; if not with the beurre blanc then its usually a soy glaze of some sort. As I have mentioned on previous entries the tuna that is available to us is on another level, its super fresh and very top quality. Whenever I make any dish I plan all the garnishes, vegetables, and sauces around the main component; as it should always be. I wanted to pair the tuna with elements that would bring forth the flavor and meaty qualities of the tuna. A really good way of accentuating an ingredient is by adding touches of acid, spice, or umami. I paired the roasted Ahi with gochujang which is a korean sweet and spicy chili paste, a salad consisting of sugar snap peas with lemon, and furikake. All the components work harmoniously next to one another, accentuating the delicate flavor of the tuna. It seemed only natural to throw some heirloom carrots in the mix since they pair very well with the peas, lemon, and gochujang. Here are some pictures of the new Ahi dish.