A twist on the classic lobster roll, these seared tuna salad burgers are easy to pull together and perfect for summer nights. Make sure your tuna is fresh- it shouldn’t be brown and instead, a bright red. Specks of white are okay, and a little black is too. I did the unimaginable and actually purchased two frozen half-pound steaks from an Asian grocery store. They looked much better than the supposedly fresh stuff. Let defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Seared Tuna and Avocado Salad Burgers
Serves 8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Adapted from Ina Garten
Olive oil
1 pound tuna steak
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, zest grated
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
6 dashes hot sauce
1 avocado, diced
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon scallion, minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
8 hamburger buns
2 cups arugula
Heat sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. While heating, rub olive oil on tuna steaks and season with salt and pepper. Place tuna in pan and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side until seared. Remove from heat and cut into small cubes.
In a medium bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil, lime zest and juice, wasabi powder, soy sauce, hot sauce, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the avocado. and then the tuna, red onion, scallion, and sesame seeds. Line the buns with arugula and fill with tuna mixture.