Tuna Tacos With Lime Aioli and Honeydew-Jicama Slaw
4 servings (makes 8 tacos)
Here are flavours of summer, without the grill. Each task in the recipe is brief. If you have helping hands in the kitchen, assign duties of zesting, searing, cutting the honeydew, jicama and jalapeo into matchsticks, cooking the tortillas, dressing the greens, you’ll be done in less than 30 minutes.
We found fresh, uncooked corn tortillas. They are a great addition to this recipe because they puff slightly as they cook and deliver more fresh corn flavour. You may wish to double-layer the tortillas, to help keep all of the components in check.
Adapted from Dos Caminos Tacos: 100 Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Mexican Street Food, by Ivy Stark with Joanna Pruess (Countryman Press, 2014).
Ingredients
For the tacos and aioli
1 jalapeo pepper
1 lime
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed watercress
8 or 16 corn tortillas (preferably fresh, uncooked; see headnote)
One 225g piece fresh tuna fillet, preferably sushi grade
Canola oil
For the slaw
1/4 honeydew melon
1 medium jicama
2 jalapeo peppers
1 lemon
1 to 2 tsp agave nectar
Steps
For the tacos and aioli: Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet on high heat. Place the jalapeo in the pan, turning it to char thoroughly on all sides. Transfer to a cutting board to cool; keep the skillet over high heat.
Meanwhile, zest the lime into a bowl, then squeeze the juice into the bowl. Whisk in the mayonnaise.
Peel and seed the jalapeo once it’s cool enough to handle, then mince the flesh; stir it into to the lime-mayo mixture.
Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Discard any thick stems of the watercress, then drop the greens into the oil-vinegar dressing and toss lightly to coat.
Cook or heat each tortilla until browned in spots and fragrant, placing 2 (or 4, if you’re doubling up) on each plate.
Cut the tuna into 4 equal portions. Season lightly with salt and pepper on all sides.
Brush the hot skillet with canola oil. Wait 15 seconds, then place the tuna pieces in the skillet. Cook for only 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, so the outsides have whitened/seared but the interior is still rare. Transfer to a cutting board to rest.
For the slaw: Cut away and discard the rind of the honeydew. Cut the flesh into thin matchsticks, placing them in a bowl. Peel the jicama and discard the skin, then cut the flesh into thin matchsticks and add to the bowl. Stem and seed the jalapeos, then cut into thin matchsticks and add to the bowl.
Zest the lemon over the bowl, then drizzle the agave nectar (to taste) over the mixture. Toss gently to incorporate.
Cut each piece of seared, rested tuna into thin slices.
Spoon some of the dressed watercress on each tortilla. Lay slices of the tuna on the greens. Pile some of the slaw on top, then dress with a dollop of the lime aioli.
Serve right away.
Nutrition Per serving (based on 8 tortillas): 320 calories, 16g protein, 40g carbohydrates, 12g fat, 1g saturated fat, 25mg cholesterol, 480mg sodium, 5g dietary fibre, 7g sugar
Washington Post
