Description
A spring-inspired recipe for Seared Ahi with dill sauce, yogurt and chive blossoms, a Nordic-style dish highlighting spring potatoes. Feel free to sub-halibut or salmon!
Ingredients
Units
- 8 ounces baby potatoes (red, white, purple, yellow or a mix)
Dill Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
- 2 ounces baby spinach (two big handfuls)
- 1 ounce dill (tender stems ok)
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1–2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
AHI
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds- lightly crushed
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds- whole
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
- 8–10 ounces ahi tuna steaks
- 2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
Garnish with diluted plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) – see notes, fresh dill and chive blossoms
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes. Place potatoes in a small pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, turn heat down and simmer until fork tender, about 15-25 minutes depending on size.
- Make the Dill Sauce. Place the water, olive oil, and spinach in a blender and blend until smooth. You’ll need a blender to get this to emulsify (and get creamy) . Add dill, scallions, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth. Taste, adjust salt, add more if you like and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Place in a small pot, set aside.
- Prep the ahi. Place whole fennel and coriander seeds, salt, and pepper on a small plate and mix well. Coat all sides of the ahi with the mixture, pressing seeds in firmly.
- Sear the Ahi. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet until hot and just smoking. Place ahi gently in the skillet and cover partially if seeds begin to spatter. Sear on very high heat for 1-2 minutes, until it develops a nice golden brown crust. Then, turn over and cook the other side for 1 minute or so. You want the inside to stay pink – rare or medium-rare. Set aside.
- Heat the small pot of green dill sauce over low heat, gently warming, careful not to overheat, or it may lose its vibrant color.
- Assemble the plates. Place a circle of warmed green dill sauce in the middle of the plate. Slice potatoes and place them over the green sauce. Slice the Ahi with a very sharp knife and place it atop the potato slices. Garnish the plate with the diluted yogurt (see notes) or sour cream, sprigs of fresh dill, and chive blossoms. Serve!
Notes
To make diluted yogurt, place equal parts plain yogurt ( or sour cream) and water in a small bowl and stir with a fork until smooth. 2-3 tablespoons of each.
The dill sauce can be blended ahead, chilled and warmed when ready to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 444
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 298.4 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.2 g
- Fiber: 11.6 g
- Protein: 41.2 g
- Cholesterol: 46.5 mg