Ahi Katsu with Wasabi-Ginger Butter Sauce
This is a fresh approach to a traditional Japanese dish. Panko, coarse Japanese bread crumbs, provides a crunchy crust for rare ahi, while wasabi and ginger combine with butter and cream to make a piquant -- and cross-cultural -- dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- Nori Sheet - 8, (available in Asian groceries)
- Fresh Spinach - 2 bunches, stemmed
- Fresh Ahi Tuna - 16 ounces
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Eggs - 4
- Water - 1/2 cup
- Flour - 1 cup, plus 1/4 cup flour for dusting
- Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or coarse bread crumbs - 4 cups
- Wasabi-Ginger Butter Sauce
- Shallots - 2, chopped
- Fresh Ginger - 3 tablespoons, peeled and chopped
- Wasabi Paste - 2 tablespoons
- Rice Vinegar - 1/2 cup
- Dry white wine - 1/2 cup
- Soy Sauce - 1/2 cup
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1/2 cup
- Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (2 sticks), cut into 16 pieces
- Vegetable oil for frying - 4 cups
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Garnish
- Sticky Rice - (see Basics)
- White Sesame Seeds - 1 tablespoon
- Black Sesame Seeds - 1 tablespoon
- Cucumber Salad - (recipe follows)
Instructions
To prepare the ahi: Spread the nori sheets, rough side up, on a work surface. Place a row of spinach leaves along one edge. Cut the ahi into pieces 1 inch thick by 1-1/2 inches wide and as long as a nori wrapper. Place the ahi on the spinach leaves and season with salt and pepper. Top with another row of spinach leaves and season with salt and pepper. Top with another row of spinach leaves. Starting with the filled side, roll the nori up like a jelly roll. Moisten the edge of the nori with water and seal, leaving the ends open. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, water, and 1 cup of the flour together until blended. Place the remaining 1/2 cup flour in one plate and the panko in another. Dust the ahi rolls with the flour, dip them into the batter, and roll them in the panko until completely coated. Set aside.
To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan bring the shallots, ginger, wasabi, vinegar, wine, and soy sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook stirring constantly, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time, letting each melt and incorporate completely before adding another. Remove the pan from the heat as necessary to keep the sauce just warm enough to melt each piece of butter. Keep warm over tepid water.
To serve: In a deep pan or fryer, heat the oil to 350 F, or until rippling. Using tongs, place the rolls in the oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes until the outside is golden brown. Do not crowd the pan. Lift with tongs and drain on paper towels. With a sharp knife, cut the rolls crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place two tablespoon-sized mounds of rice on each serving plate. Sprinkle the rice with white and black sesame seeds. Mound 1/2 cup of cucumber salad in the center o each plate. Pour one quarter of the sauce on one side of each plate, and fan the ahi roll slices over the sauce.
