Caribbean Mango Avocado Ahi Lettuce Wraps

This recipe is the second in my low sodium series for Channel 6 San Diego tomorrow morning! Check out the first recipe in the series here: Strawberry Ricotta Salad.

I knew I wanted to create something other than just salads for the segment so I decided that lettuce wraps would be a perfect alternative to traditional wraps or sandwiches because lettuce contains virtually no sodium!

This entire dish contains only 60 mg of sodium, which is about 7 mg per lettuce cup!  That’s a whole lot of delicious without a whole lot of sodium!

Ingredients

• 1 mango (diced)
• 1 avocado (diced)
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1/2 lb fresh sushi-grade ahi tuna (diced)
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 1 tbsp Enzo Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 head butter lettuce

Begin by combining the mango, avocado, red onion and ahi in a small bowl. Next squeeze the lime juice over the mixture, then drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle the cilantro and black pepper on top.

Stir together, then spoon the mixture into leaves of butter lettuce.

♣ Vegetarian Option: Omit the ahi to make this recipe vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: This recipe is gluten-free.

♠ Paleo Option: This recipe is paleo.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Blackened Soy Ahi Burger

While my self-proclaimed “Ahi Week” was technically over a week ago, I still have a couple more delicious Ahi recipes to share!

The week started with Mango Avocado Ahi Fillo Baskets, then went on to Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes and now for the delicious soy marinated, blackened ahi burger!

The idea for this recipe came from a spicy ahi burger I used to frequently eat at a beach bar my friend worked at.  It was fresh and delicious, while also having that nice  spicy kick… I re-created it just the same!

Ingredients (makes 4 ahi burgers)

• 1 lb ahi (cut into 4 steaks)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 4 hamburger buns

Optional(-ly awesome) Toppings

• wasabi mayonaise (aioli)
• pickled ginger
• red pepper slaw
• fresh avocado

Begin by pouring the soy sauce over the ahi steaks and brushing on all sides.

Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to marinate.

In the mean time, mix all of the spices together in a small bowl.

Remove the ahi steaks from the refrigerator and coat all sides with the blackening seasonings.

Sear the steaks for 2-3 minutes per side in a cast iron skillet.

Place on the buns and top with wasabi aioli.

Top with the other optional-ly awesome ingredients of your choice!

There’s nothing like fresh, creamy avocado on a thick steak of spicy ahi tuna with crisp red pepper slaw and sweet pickled ginger!

I used the blackening seasoning from LLB’s Blackened Red Snapper recipe, and it was just as delicious on the ahi!

The ahi is just slightly seared on the outside for that beautiful bright pink center!

♦ Gluten Free Option: Omit the buns or use gluten-free buns to make this recipe gluten-free.

♠ Paleo Option: Replace the soy sauce with lime juice to make this recipe paleo. Omit the wasabi aioli and pickled ginger as optional toppings.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes

Welcome to the second recipe from what I now lovingly refer to as “Ahi Week”!

After purchasing a large amount of Ahi Tuna at the Whole Foods Del Mar grand opening, I first headed home and whipped up these delicious Mango Avocado Ahi Poke Fillo Baskets.  Next on the list to make was my sushi restaurant favorite and yours, Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Cakes.

And just how do I know they’re your favorite?  Because I worked at a sushi restaurant in college and trust me, they are everyones favorite!

This post contains the making of three different recipes:

1. Spicy tuna
2. Sushi rice
3. Crispy rice cakes

At the end, they will all be combined into these delicious little sushi favorites!

Ingredients – Spicy Tuna (makes app. 2 cups)

• 1 lb sushi-grade ahi tuna
• 2 tbsp hot chili sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp hot chili oil
• 1/4 cup Vegenaise
• 1 tbsp chives (chopped)

Begin by gently dicing the ahi tuna, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to allow the spicy flavors to soak into the ahi.

Meanwhile, prepare the sushi rice, then rice cakes.

Ingredients – Sushi Rice (Recipe adapted from Food Network)

• 2 cups sushi or short grain rice
• 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (for the rice cakes)
• 2 tbsp sesame oil (for cooking rice cakes)

Begin by rinsing the sushi rice well, then combining the rice and 2 cups of water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat, keep the rice covered away from the heat for 10 minutes.

Next, combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.

Place the cooked rice in a glass bowl and add the vinegar mixture to the rice, combining well.

Allow the rice to cool, then form the rice into small rectangles using your hands, a cookie cutter or this sweet little contraption.

This nifty little tool was part of the “Sushi Party Kit” I picked up at the Japanese Market for $3.50.  Have I mentioned how much I love that place?

Once the rice is formed into tight rectangular shapes, cook them lightly on each side over medium heat with 1 tbsp of sesame oil.

Remove from the skillet and dip the rice cakes into the soy sauce.

Next, cook the rice cakes for an additional 2-3 minutes in 1 tbsp sesame oil on each side or until crisp and golden brown.

Remove from the skillet and top with the spicy tuna, then garnish with additional chopped chives.

These scrumptious little bites are just as good as the ones you get in the restaurant, and probably even better because of all the tender, love and care that you put into making them at home

Try these with other sushi restaurant favorites such as shishito peppers and miso japanese eggplant (recipe coming soon!)

♣ Vegetarian Option: Replace the ahi in the spicy tuna recipe with diced cucumbers and carrots, then top with fresh avocado.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Be sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce and this recipe is gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Mango Avocado Ahi Poke Fillo Baskets

I always know when a dish is really good when I go to post the recipe 3 days later and begin to drool on my keyboard after uploading the pictures!

This is one of those recipes!

On Wednesday morning I ventured up to Del Mar to the grand opening party for the new Whole Foods.  The party consisted of goodie bags, delicious samples and an incredible Ahi Tuna special!

I purchased 3.4 lbs of Ahi because:

1. I can’t pass up a good deal.
2. I can’t pass up a good deal on fresh sushi-grade ahi tuna.
3. Everyone needs a little more ahi in their life!

I went home with my giant cut of fish and then began my menu planning for the next couple of days. I’m not going to lie to y’all, I had a nightmare last night that all of the ahi was gone.  Yes, my ahi addiction is now out of control!

These fillo baskets were the first dish I made with the delicious fish.

The original idea for this recipe came from Tuna Fillo Baskets that we served at a sushi restaurant I worked at in college. I combined their recipe with my recipe for Mango Avocado Fillo Baskets and the Ahi Poke Fillo Baskets were born!

Poke is Hawaiian for “to slice or cut” and the dish is just that, raw sliced up marinated ahi with added ingredients such as avocado, chili peppers, onions or hot sauce.

The dish is now very popular served as an appetizer with soy sauce and wasabi, so it looks like I’m right on trend

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb fresh sushi-grade ahi tuna
• 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 mango (diced)
• 2 avocados (diced)
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1 lime (juiced)
• 30 fillo baskets
• 1-2 tbsp fresh wasabi

Begin by gently dicing the ahi tuna.

Next, add the ponzu and black pepper.

Place in the refrigerator to marinate while preparing the rest of the poke.

Combine the diced mango and avocado.

Then add the onion, cilantro and lime juice.

Add the mango avocado mix to the marinated ahi. Place the poke in the fillo baskets, then top with a very small dollop of wasabi. Very small or not quite as small depending on how spicy you want it!

This was totally not intentionally, but don’t these look like cute little Easter baskets? So perfect for the upcoming holiday!

If you’re scared to roll your own sushi, this dish would be the perfect substitute! All of the delicious, fresh flavors, placed in a fillo basket instead of rolled in seaweed!

I’ll be serving this up all spring and summer! Happy Cooking Chopping!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is pescaterian, but can be made vegetarian by omitting the ahi tuna.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Instead of fillo baskets, use Tostitos Scoops which are gluten-free.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.