Like many people, I like the flavors found in Thai curry: the spice of chili peppers, the sweetness of coconut milk, the sourness of fish sauce, and the fragrance of lemongrass and galangal. My husband, however, is on a whole other level; if he had full control over our dinner menu, we would probably eat exclusively Southeast Asian cuisine at home. This is the man who, when living on his own as a student, chose his apartment based on its proximity to not one, but FOUR Thai restaurants, to match his frequent cravings for tom yum!

Our first date was at a Thai restaurant in Boston. Our first six months of dating were studded with stops for Pad Thai and Summer Rolls, spicy noodle soups and coconut-milk curries, until one day I had to put my foot down; I was Thai-ed out! Luckily, my protest didn’t last long, and my husband has been able to bring these delicious flavors back to the table. Fast forward to today, and while we still place orders at our local Thai restaurant, we have become more adventurous in cooking at home with these ingredients.

This dish – Seared Tuna with Thai Red Curry, is one of our best. Inspired by the delicious curries we enjoyed in our younger days, beautiful rare tuna sits on top of a flavorful kefir lime & coconut red curry sauce, complimented by a crispy rice noodle cake and a bright, fresh, green salad. Sweet, sour, and balanced by the vinegary dressing, this dish looks intimidating, but came together in twenty minutes. The flavors knocked our socks off, and just maybe, converted me a bit more to the Thai side.

Seared Tuna with Thai Red Curry Sauce

Serves 4

To Prepare the Tuna:

2 pounds fresh tuna loin

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

sesame seeds

2 tablespoons salted butter

Slice the fish into long strips of roughly the same width and height. This will improve the ‘look’ of the sear on the slices. Season the raw tuna generously with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds on both sides.

Melt the butter into a super-hot skillet (we use a cast iron skillet for this). When it starts to brown, add the tuna and sear for one minute on the top & bottom, plus 15 seconds on each of the remaining two (long) sides. The time should be two minutes and thirty seconds total.

Sear all the way around the outside of the tuna, while keeping the interior rare (not raw). In rare tuna, the thin ‘striations’ of muscle become more pronounced and white, as you see in the photos.

Once the tuna is seared on all sides, place on a dish and reserve.

For the Curry:

3 or 4 tablespoons of red curry paste (depending on how spicy you like your food)

8 ounces (full fat preferred) coconut milk

2-3 dried kefir lime leaves (found in Asian Markets or on Amazon)

2 teaspoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Add the curry paste and place in a hot non-stick skillet and let it warm up for about 30 seconds. Next, add the coconut milk and stir until the curry paste is thoroughly incorporated. Add the lime leaves and submerge in the curry. Pour in the fish oil & sesame oil, and stir gently to combine. Bring the whole mixture to a boil for 1 minute, and then take it off the heat.

Some coconut milks are less sweet than others. If you desire more sweetness in your curry, add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and mix thoroughly. Allow the curry to cool (the flavors will develop more over about 5 minutes), and reserve.

For the Noodle Pancake:

½ package of vermicelli rice noodles

½ teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons sesame oil

Boil the rice noodles in a roiling boil for 2 minutes. They should be pliant, but slightly undercooked. Drain and add a heavy pinch of salt to the noodles. Reserve.

Add half of the sesame oil to the bottom of a cast iron skillet and heat until starting to smoke. Place the salted noodles on the bottom of the pan and spread out so they are flat. After 2 minutes remove the noodles, add the rest of the sesame oil, and when hot, place for 2 minutes on the opposite side. Remove from the pan and allow to drain on several paper towels. Cut into a desired shape (a wedge shape is a fast way to make multiple servings. You can also use a ring cutter as shown here.)

For the Salad:

3 endives 6 ounces pea shoots 2 ounces cilantro 2 radishes 2 scallions ½ avocado (optional) Peel the first layer of leaves off the endive and then slice the endive lengthwise into thin pieces. Cut the green onion and radish into thin round slices. Roughly chop the cilantro. Avocado can be scooped out of the peel and sliced thin if desired. Add all of the vegetables and the pea shoots to a small bowl. Dress right before serving.

For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon mirin (a type of sweetened sake)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Combine in a jam jar and shake vigorously. To Assemble: Using four plates, spoon out the curry sauce until it just covers the bottom of each plate. Next, lay the rice cake on one side of the plate. Slice the tuna into ½ inch slices, and arrange on the opposite side of the rice cake. Dress the salad and quickly toss. Add on top of the rice cake. Serve and enjoy!

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