Ahi Poke Sushi

Out of desperation, I went to Bristol Farms in La Jolla (probably the most expensive grocery store in San Diego) because they're the only store that I know of that sells fresh ahi poke by the pound! I only purchased a quarter pound since it runs @ $12.99 a pound. Yikes! Anyhoo, I created this ahi sushi roll with soy wraps instead of regular nori (seaweed). It was quite yummy. I used leftover jasmine rice since it tends to get stickier the next day. I'm no Masuhara Morimoto, but I did feel like an Iron Chef.

INGREDIENTS (makes 2 rolls)

• 1/4 lb. Ahi poke, divided
• About 2/3 to 1 cup sushi or jasmine rice, cooked
• Soy Wraps or Nori
• About 4 to 6 julienned strips of cucumber
• Avocado (optional)
• Equipment: sushi mat, plastic wrap

DIRECTIONS

1. Take one half of the poke and finely chop it with your chef's knife and get your aggression out.
2. Cover your sushi mat with plastic wrap.
3. Place a sheet of soy wrap (or nori if you prefer) on the plastic wrap and spread 1/2 cup of sushi rice on top.
4. Wet your fingers with water and spread the rice over the wrap with your hands, leaving a ½ inch strip of soy wrap uncovered at the bottom.
5. Place your desired fillings along this strip of uncovered soy sheet on the edge closest to you. I placed strips of cucumber, avocado, and some of the minced ahi poke.
6. Using the rolling mat, begin to tightly roll the sushi. Start at the side nearest to you, and roll away from you. Make sure you don’t roll the rolling mat into your sushi!
7. When the sushi is completely rolled, use the rolling mat to squeeze the sushi so it does not unroll when you are trying to cut it.
8. Cut into 6 or 8 pieces. Place sushi, rice side up on a platter and top with remaining ahi poke.

If you're a visual person like I am, you can view the step-by-step pictures here: Sushi Day.

Ahi Tuna Terrine with Wasabi Foam

This past weekend, Matt and I took a wine tour down to the Guadalupe Valley in Mexico. As we drove down the very scenic highway, we noticed many fishing farms on the Pacific Ocean, just south of Puerto Nuevo. We were told that those were Blue Fin tuna farms but that hardly anyone in Mexico or the U.S. ever get to taste any of that fish as the Japanese buy them up even before they go on the market. Sadly, blue fin tuna became overfished in Japan and they now rely on other countries to farm these delicacies. I doubt I'll ever eat real blue fin tuna as the current market price is about $110 a pound! So I'll stick to my Ahi tuna (aka Yellow fin Tuna).

As you all know, Ahi tuna is my favorite fish of all time and one of my favorite restaurants here in San Diego has two of my favorite tuna dishes: tuna sashimi terrine and sesame seared yellow fin. My tuna sashimi terrine attempt is below. I'm still working on the wasabi foam, though. I've been experimenting on the seared yellow fin. Hopefully I'll figure out these recipes soon!

If you're ever in the neighborhood, I highly suggest you check out The Guild Restaurant--it's in the barrio, but it's awsome! Sadly, the restaurant closed in January of 2009, due the economic crisis.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 1 Tbsp. chili sesame oil (plus a few drops extra for presentation)
• 1 tsp. chili garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 6 oz of chopped sushi grade raw Ahi tuna
• 1 avocado
• Juice of 1 lime, divided
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 Tbsp. wasabi paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl combine 1 tablespoon chili sesame oil, 1 teaspoon chili garlic paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the chopped Ahi tuna. Cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate in the fridge for 1 hour. After an hour, chop the avocado and gently fold it in. Squeeze the juice of half of a lime. Let it sit in the fridge another 15 minutes.

Lightly whip the cream and add in the wasabi paste and honey. Whip until stiff peaks form. Season to taste with a sprinkle of kosher or sea salt and a few drops of the leftover lime juice.

When ready to serve, place a round mold (or you can use a PVC pipe mold that is 2" diameter x 3") on top of serving platter. Add the marinated ahi. Pipe the wasabi cream with a make shift zip-loc piping bag or you can dollop the cream. Sprinkle a few black sesame seeds. Then place five drops of chili sesame oil around plate. When ready to eat, remove mold and voilà!

Spam Musubi

I am flying to Oahu, Hawaii, again this Wednesday to visit my sister and to help her move back to San Diego. If you've never been to Oahu, it really is a beautiful island to visit, but what I love the most about the island is the food. Yes, most of the food is expensive there, but if you can afford it, you gotta try the shrimp from the shrimp trucks in the North Shore, some authentic Ahi poke, or Kalua pig, and of course, Spam musubi. Why Spam? Well, back in WWII meat was scarce in the islands, so civilians loaded up on this canned meat. Before long, it became a Hawaiian staple and now almost every household has one or two cans of Spam in their pantry!

Anyhoo, here's a recipe for Spam Musubi. You will need a musubi rice press, but you can also use the Spam can to make the musubi. I bet that this would be an interesting party appetizer at any party in Minnesota, eh?

INGREDIENTS (makes 32 musubi)

• 3 cups uncooked short- or medium-grain rice
• 4 cups water
• 5 sheets of sushi nori (seaweed in big squares)
• 1 (12-ounce) can Spam luncheon meat (you can also use Spam Lite)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup rice wine (mirin)
• Water

DIRECTIONS

Wash rice, stirring with your hand, until water runs clear. Place rice in a saucepan with water; soak 30 minutes. Drain rice in colander and transfer to a heavy pot or rice cooker; add 4 cups water. If you don't have a rice cooker, place rice and water into a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and leave pan, covered, for 15 additional minutes.

Cut nori in half widthwise. Place cut nori in a resealable plastic bag to keep from exposing the nori to air (exposing the nori to air will make it tough and hard to eat).

Cut Spam into 8 rectangular slices approximately 1/4-inch thick. In a large ungreased frying pan over medium heat (Spam has plenty of grease to keep it from sticking), fry slices until brown and slightly crispy. remove from heat, drain on paper towels, and set aside.

In a small saucepan over high heat, add soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine; bring just to a boil, then remove from heat. Add fried Spam slices to soy sauce mixture, turning them to coat with the sauce; let spam slices sit in marinade until ready to use.

In a small bowl, add some water to use as a sealer for the ends of the nori wrapper; set aside.

Using a Spam Musubi press, place a piece of nori on a plate. Position press on top of the nori so the length of the press is in the middle of the nori (widthwise). The press and the width of the nori should fit exactly the length of a slice of Spam. (Note: If you don't have a musubi maker, you can use the empty Spam can by opening both sides, creating a musubi mold.)

Spread approximately 1/4 cup cooked rice across the bottom of the musubi maker, on top of the nori; press rice down with flat part of the press to compact the rice until it is 1/4-inch thick (add more rice if necessary). Place a slice of Spam on top of the rice (it should cover most of the length of the musubi maker). Cover with an additional 1/4 cup cooked rice; press until 1/4-inch thick. remove the musubi from the press by pushing the whole stack down (with the flat part of the press) while lifting off the press. Fold one end of nori over the musubi and press lightly onto the rice. Wet the remaining end slightly with water, then wrap over musubi and other piece of nori; press down on the other end. cut log into 4 pieces. Repeat with the other 7 Spam slices, making sure to rinse off musubi maker after each use to prevent if from getting too sticky.

Cut each musubi in quarters. Do not refrigerate musubi, as they will get dry and rubbery. Serve immediately.