- 1 pound sashimi-quality tuna
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, toasted
- ½ cup plus 1 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce)
- ½ cup mirin (sweet cooking wine)
- 1 teaspoon smooth French-style mustard
- 1 tablespoon komezu (rice vinegar)
- ¼ teaspoon peeled, grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- A mixture of salad greens and
- Sliced cherry tomatoes
- Cut away any deep red part of the tuna, and cut the rest of the meat into four 1-inch-thick steaks. In a suribachi or other mortar, grind the sesame seeds until they are just broken.
- In a pan large enough to hold the steaks in one layer, combine ½ cup of the shoyu, the mirin, and sesame seeds. Place the tuna in the pan, and marinate it for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the mustard, the remaining 1 teaspoon shoyu, the komezu, grated ginger, sugar, sesame oil, and olive oil, and whisk until smooth. This is the dressing for the salad greens.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch vegetable oil over medium heat to 360 degrees F. While the oil heats, drain the tuna, discarding the marinade but reserving the sesame seeds. Coat the tuna with the sesame seeds, and then the flour.
- Add the tuna to the skillet, and cook the tuna, turning it with tongs and a spatula, until both sides are golden. The center of the fish should be rare and pink, but cook it longer if you prefer.
- Remove the fish from the oil, and drain it on a rack for 10 minutes. With a very sharp knife, cut the tuna diagonally to produce broad slices ¼-inch thick.
- Toss the salad greens with the dressing, and serve the tuna on a bed of greens, garnished with tomatoes.