Spicy Ahi Burgers
Aloha from beautiful Verona! After almost a day of traveling, Moses and I made it to Italy last night and despite waking up at 3 am, we're feeling well rested and ready to hoof it around town. We're here to explore, make pasta with Giovanni Rana, catch a little Romeo and Juliet, and eat our weight in gelato. Today, we're walking around the city center, trying to work off all the pizza we ate last night ;). Meanwhile, Vienna's hanging back in LA with her woof pack, getting in her daily walks, chilling with her bestie Priya (a chihuahua mix), and missing us zero.
Before we left, I had a spicy ahi craving. But believe it or not, I was not in the mood for poke. So I turned that spicy ahi into a burger, paired it with a glass of Beaujolais Villages (Louis Jadot, 2015) and some black truffle chips, and called it lunch. Vienna and I delivered it (sans wine) to Moses and enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the park near Moses' office. The ahi patty itself gets its flavor from a quick soy-sesame-togarashi marinade and is served up with a sriracha-kewpie mayo sauce, lots of avocado, tomato, and some spicy baby asian greens. It's quick and easy to make, and makes for a great lunch or dinner. I should know because I had it for both!
SPICY AHI BURGERS
MAKES 4 BURGERS
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. sushi-grade yellowfin ahi tuna
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp. shichimi-togarashi
2 green onion stalks, chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 c. panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
SPICY MAYO
1/2 c. kewpie mayo
1 1/2 Tbsp. sriracha
ASSEMBLY
4 hamburger buns, toasted
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
Handful baby asian greens
2 - 3 slices tomato
TOOLS
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Sharp heavy knife
Baking pan, lined with parchment
Frying pan
Spatula
FIX
Finely dice 1/2 pound of ahi. Finely chop the remaining 1/2 pound of ahi with a food processor or using a sharp, heavy knife. Combine diced and chopped ahi in a bowl and toss with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, shichimi-togarashi, and green onions. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove bowl from fridge and mix in beaten egg and panko bread crumbs. Using wet hands, form into 4 equal sized patties. Place patties on a parchment lined pan and let chill in fridge 10-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk kewpie mayo and sriracha together in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a pan over high heat and grill patties for 2 minutes on each side. Spread toasted buns with spicy mayo and top patty with avocado, asian greens, and tomato.
Serve and enjoy!