While visiting Japan, most of the restaurants we walked past were, not surprisingly, Japanese cuisine. Occasionally, we would see an Italian restaurant or a fast food burger joint. We decided to check out MOS Burger, one of the more popular burger chains. Overall, I thought it was delicious and would recommend it if you find yourself in Japan. While at MOS Burger I was reminded of Smile Burger from the Yakuza series. Happy employees ready to take your order with a variety of burger options to pick from. My husband has said many times Yakuza was his crash course into what he might expect when visiting Japan. It really does hit the culture and setting correctly. Just roaming around in the game from time to time I get flashbacks of our trip.
This is a recipe my husband has been requesting for several months. Fish was a thing I typically avoided when growing up. Any time I saw fish, I was reminded of my mom baking salmon in the oven and the house just smelling awful. After meeting my husband I slowly began to warm up to fish. I’ve worked up the courage and have been trying out some home cooked fish recipes. Pan cooked tuna covered in sesame seeds is now one of my favorites and I thank my husband for asking repeatedly. This recipe is very easy and truly delicious.
Results: 2 Burgers
Ingredients:
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ginger powder
2 tuna steaks
black sesame seeds
white sesame seeds
2 tbsp mayo
wasabi
¼ tsp rice vinegar
pepper
bun
lettuce
tomato
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder and ginger. Place the tuna in a ziplock bag and pour in the sauce. Mix together and place in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
When you are ready to cook, remove the tuna from the ziplock and pat dry. On a small plate combine the black and white sesame seeds. Press the top and bottom of the tuna steak in the sesame seeds.
Place a pan over medium-high heat and allow it to warm up. Add nonstick spray and cook the tuna for 2-4 minutes per side. The shorter the cook the more pink the center will be.
To make the wasabi mayo, combine the mayo, wasabi and rice vinegar in a bowl. I did not include a measurement for the wasabi because it really depends on how spicy you want it to be. Season with pepper.
When the tuna is ready, place a little bit of the wasabi mayo on the bottom half of a bun. Place the tuna on the bun and then add the lettuce and tomato. You could also just dip the tuna in the mayo and go to town. Either way works!