Wasabi Pecan Crusted Tuna Salad

This wasabi pecan crusted tuna salad is perfect for anyone who likes tuna. But its especially perfect for anyone who thinks they hate salad. Which is A LOT of people I know and I just really don’t understand. The other day I was scrolling Facebook and saw a post from someone I won’t name who said she doesn’t eat vegetables. I just don’t believe people who say they don’t like vegetables. There are so many varieties and so many ways to prepare them. So I sat on my Zoom call for work and half-listened, half-daydreamed about how I could make the perfect salad that would make even non-salad eaters fall in love with salad. I think I kinda nailed it by loading up on all the toppings, flavors and textures.

By the way, you can expect A LOT more elaborate salad recipes around here in the coming weeks and months to be exact. My husband found this mental toughness challenge called 75HARD online and has recruited me to join him. If you know me, you know I’m addicted to wellness challenges but this is definitely going to be the hardest one I’ve tried yet. These are the rules:

• 75 days of two daily 45-minute workouts
• Sticking to a diet with no desserts (not even healthy ones)
• No alcohol
• Drinking a gallon of water every day
• Reading 10 pages of a personal development book every day
• Taking a daily selfie
• Oh and one of the workouts has to happen outdoors, rain or shine. Straightened silk press or fresh twist-out. Whether you just stepped out of the salon or did the perfect wash and go at home. The horror. Right now it is POURING down raining in Atlanta and all I have to say is thank God we are not starting today. Clearly, black women’s hair was not top of mind for the creator of this challenge. Sigh. But I’m definitely not above running with an umbrella if worse comes to worst.

I chose plant-based as my diet for the 75HARD challenge, which I’m sure is not a shocker to you guys. I’m excited to dig deeper into more beans, legumes and whole grains after doing so many Whole30’s leading up to our wedding. I also feel like maybe Whole30 has conditioned me to fear beans and grains because as much as I love a black bean burger and oatmeal I secretly fear that I’m going to gain 100lbs enjoying those things. Although I’m probably not because of the whole no healthy desserts thing which really makes me want to cry and die on the inside but alas, I am excited to grow more discipled.

My one exception to a strict plant-based diet is fish though. Because Omega-3’s and 6’s help me balance out my hormones. So what a perfect time to try this wasabi pecan crusted tuna salad recipe and keep it on deck. Plus, Ahi tuna was on sale at Sprouts this week so let’s get into it!

PREPPING THE TUNA MARINADE

Fresh Ahi doesn’t need much, so I love to do a light marinade of lemon juice, garlic, liquid aminos and ginger on a typical tuna night. This time though, I was really hankering for that nose tingle/braingasm that happens when wasabi takes over your whole head, so I added a bit of wasabi paste into the mix and let the tuna sit refrigerated for about 30 minutes. Believe it or not, the tingle only happened on two bites! So if wasabi brain tingles are your thing too, either marinade your tuna longer or add more in.

TOPPING THE WASABI PECAN CRUSTED TUNA SALAD

Go all out or go home on slicing toppings while your tuna rests. Anyone who tells you salads are boring or not filling or not good is not adding enough toppings. If they are, they aren’t adding enough variety. The most important thing that separates depressing salads you want to throw away from exciting ones you want to eat is quantity and variety of toppings. Load up on sweet ones, savory ones, soft ones, crunchy ones, and don’t forget a mix of warm and chilled. Your mouth should never know what’s about to happen next. When you can hardly see the lettuce under your toppings, you’re in a good place.

COATING AND COOKING THE TUNA

Once you’ve become a salad topping pro, it’s time to prep the main attraction: the wasabi pecan crusted tuna steak. I love typing steak because it makes me feel like I’m talking about the real kind I only eat once or twice a year. Mmm. Ok ignore me, anyway, when the tuna is done in the marinade you want to lightly beat an egg with the remaining wasabi paste. In a separate bowl, mix some chopped pecans, almond flour, salt and pepper. The pecans should be finely chopped to for maximum adherence to the tuna, but a few chunks here and there also adds a nice crunch.

Once you have beautifully coated tuna steaks, carefully place them into a pan with heated olive oil. Cook on medium to medium-high for 30 seconds to one minute on each of the four sides, or until brown enough for your liking. If you like your tuna pink on the inside, cook the steaks closer to 30 seconds per side. If you like them more fully cooked, aim for a the minute range, if not a little longer.

Pro tip: if you’re a crust-a-holic like me, cut your steaks in half length-wise before pan frying to get even more warm, crispy pecan coating in every bite. Yum, yum, yum. Try not to eat the bits that fall off in the cooking process. They make amazing croutons.

ASSEMBLING

You know what to do next: top that salad to your heart’s content and dig in! I used a pumpkin oil salad dressing from the “>this lemon-garlic dressing and marinade from Tessemae’s. It’s so light, peppery and yum.

This is the perfect filling salad with all the nutrients your body craves. I’m learning from the Sakara cookbook I mentioned earlier that when you eat the rainbow, you really can’t go wrong. If you’re looking for more easy, filling salads, try my Raw Summer Corn Salad or my first ever post, Chipotle Kale Caesar Salad.

I’m so grateful for the new readers visiting this blog. If you try one if my recipes, please do let me know how you like it in the comments. Your support means the world as I grow and better this blog to meet my readers’ needs.

All the love,