This dish comes together quickly, despite its long ingredient list. To make it even faster, take advantage of the prepped and ready-to-use melon and jicama available in the produce section.
Tuna Tacos With Lime Aioli
and Honeydew-Jicama Slaw
For the aioli and tuna:
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
Juice and zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup regular or low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed watercress or baby spinach or arugula
1 (4-ounce) piece fresh tuna filet, preferably sushi-grade
Vegetable oil
For the slaw:
1/8 to 1/4 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cut into matchsticks
1/2 medium jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed and julienned
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 to 1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
8 corn tortillas, warmed
For the aioli: Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet on high heat. Place the jalapeno in the pan, turning it to char thoroughly on all sides. Transfer to a cutting board to cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the lime zest and juice. Whisk in the mayonnaise.
Once it's cool enough to handle, peel and seed the jalapeno, then mince the flesh; stir half of it into to the lime-mayo mixture. Reserve the remaining half for another use.
Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Discard any thick stems of the watercress, then drop the greens into the oil-vinegar dressing and toss lightly to coat.
Cut the tuna into 4 equal portions. Season lightly with salt and pepper on all sides.
Brush the hot skillet with vegetable oil. Wait 15 seconds, then place the tuna pieces in the skillet. Cook for only 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, so the outsides have whitened/seared but the interior is still rare. Transfer to a cutting board to rest.
While the tuna rests, make the slaw. In a medium bowl, combine the melon, jicama and jalapeno. Add the lemon zest and juice and agave and toss gently to incorporate.
Cut each piece of seared, rested tuna into thin slices.
To assemble: Spoon some of the dressed watercress on double-layers of tortillas. Lay slices of the tuna on the greens. Pile some of the slaw on top, then dress with a dollop of the lime aioli.
Makes 2 servings.
Adapted from Dos Caminos Tacos: 100 Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Mexican Street Food by Ivy Stark with Joanna Pruess (Countryman Press, 2014)
Food on 07/08/2015