Pepper-seared Tuna with
Wasabi Dipping Sauce

450 g (1 lb) fresh, sashimi-quality tuna fillets

4 teaspoons sake

4 teaspoons mirin

1 teaspoon Japanese sansho pepper or cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon oil

Shredded daikon, to serve

Wasabi Dipping Sauce

60 ml (¼ cup) high-quality mayonnaise

2–3 teaspoons wasabi paste, or to taste

2 teaspoons mirin

2 teaspoons sake

1 Cut tuna into fillets that are approximately 3 cm (1 in) thick and 5 cm (2 in) wide. Marinate fillets in sake and mirin for 30 minutes or overnight.

2 To make Wasabi Dipping Sauce, combine mayonnaise, wasabi, mirin and sake in a bowl. Set aside.

3 Drain marinated tuna. Combine pepper and oil in a small baking tray and roll drained tuna in mixture until evenly coated.

4 Heat a medium frying pan over high heat, add tuna and cook for 1–2 minutes each side or until all surfaces are sealed and tuna is lightly browned. Remove from pan, set aside and when cool, slice at an angle into 1-cm (½-in) thick slices and arrange overlapping on a serving plate on a bed of daikon. Serve with Wasabi Dipping Sauce.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 5 mins + 30 mins marinating

Cooking time: 8 mins