This recipe is quite simple but got big wows, despite the fact that (as illustrated above, I hacked at it without sharpening my knife first). I'm not sure why people love this so much - maybe it is the juxtaposition of warm fish and cool avocado? Maybe it just looks pretty on the plate? Maybe people have forgotten how much of this type of salad we ate in the 8os and it seems new and exciting?
No matter the reason, this is a crowd pleaser and meets my top criteria for food served to company - yummy, easy to make but looks complicated so you get compliments and allows you to be in the dining room with friends rather than slaving over the hot stove for more than a few minutes.
1/2 pound sushi grade hamachi tuna
2 large avocados
2 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup daikon radish, mandolined or sliced on the large opening of your box grater
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
3 Tbsps ponzu sauce (or lime juice if you don't have access to ponzu in the ethnic section of your local supermarket)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsps orange juice
1 tsp grated ginger root
1/2 cup + 2 tsps olive oil
Using a large bowl, make a dressing with the orange juice, ponzu, soy sauce, grated ginger and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Adjust seasoning to your taste - more ponzu if you want a bit more acidity, more orange juice if you like your dressings sweeter, more ginger if you want a bit more of a kick.
Dress the greens and the mint with the vinaigrette. Toss well, remove from bowl and place on your serving dish. Toss the daikon in the dressing remaining in the bowl in which you tossed the greens and place on top of dressed leaves. Cut the avocados into thick pieces, toss in remaining dressing and place on top of leaves and daikon.
Heat the remaining 2 tsps of oil in a nonstick frying pan. Salt and pepper the hamachi well. As soon as the oil is very hot, add the hamachi to the pan and sear each side for 30 seconds. Remove to a cutting board and slice into as thin as possible slices. Your fish should be practically rare on the inside (hence the need for sushi grade fish) and seared on the outside. Place it on top of all the other salad elements and drizzle with any remaining dressing.
I gilded the lily by toppng the whole dish with candied bacon pieces which went really well with the hamachi and added a bit more texture to the salad. Even without, it is a fine specimen of an appetizer salad!