‘southern-style’ poke bowl

Man oh man oh man, was this good! Ideas for recipes often come to me out of a desire for a particular ingredient. For this one it was the tuna. I love tuna. It is an excellent high-quality source of protein and is low in fat and a good source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Tuna is also rich in manganese, zinc, vitamin C, and selenium, all of which are needed for a healthy immune system and aide in fighting free radicals.

A traditional poke bowl includes raw, marinated tuna, but my Hubs is not so much into that, so I pan-seared this. Just how done you cook it is strictly personal preference.

I paired this with the traditional poke bowl ingredients of cucumber and scallions, but added a Southern twist with sauteed turnip greens. You can easily substitute other greens such as mustard greens or collards. Turnips are just what I had. The sweet habaneros add a lovely crunch and a yummy sweet-pungent, almost floral flavor. I honestly had never had sweet habaneros until I got them in my CSA box and I’m so glad I added them to this recipe.

2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

2/3 lb sashimi tuna steak

1/2 of a medium cucumber cut into rounds, then quartered

4-6 sweet habanero peppers, diced, or any pepper you have on hand

3 green onions, sliced

1 bunch turnip greens, wash well and chopped

1 tsp olive oil

3 Tbs sesame seeds, divided

1/4-1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp coarsely ground salt

1 Tbs soy sauce

1/2 Tbs toasted sesame oil

1 Tbs Persian lime flavored olive oil or 1/2 Tbs plain extra virgin olive oil + 1 tsp lime juice and zest, divided

1/2 Tbs honey

Instructions:

  1. Prepare rice according to package directions.

  2. Saute turnip greens in 1 tsp olive oil

  3. Create coating for tuna by combining 1 Tbs sesame seeds, the ground black pepper and salt. Coat the tuna steak with the mixture.

  4. Heat 1/2 Tbs of the lime-flavored olive oil in a skillet over high heat. (Be careful not to let it to smoke.)

  5. Gently place the tuna steak in the hot skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Allow tuna to sear fully on one side before carefully turning. This may take 4-6 min. depending on desired doneness. The amount of time it takes will also be affected by the thickness of the steak.

  6. While tuna is cooking, arrange bed of cooked rice in the bottom of a wide, shallow bowl, such as a pasta bowl. Top with small piles of cucumber, scallions, and cooked turnip greens.

  7. For dressing, whisk the soy sauce, the sesame oil, 1/2 Tbs of the lime-flavored olive oil, and the honey.

  8. Toast the remaining 2 Tbs sesame seeds

  9. Once tuna is done cooking, carefully removed from skillet and slice.

  10. Arrange slices of tuna atop rice. Drizzle dressing over entire bowl.

  11. Top entire bowl with diced habanero peppers and sesame seeds.