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Cook the Book: Grilled Tuna with Mango Dipping Sauce

Posted by Lucy Baker, July 9, 2008 at 12:45 PM

I don't know about you, but the first time I tried to cut up a fresh mango I ended up with a pulpy mess. I tried to peel it like a potato with a vegetable peeler and then dice the flesh. I didn't take the mango’s core into account, or the fruit’s inherent slipperiness.

According to Toni Lydecker, author of Serves One, to properly chop a mango you must hold it with the narrower end facing up and make two big slices along either side of the pit. Then score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern and scoop out the cubes with a knife or a large spoon. The result: flawless, uniform squares of fruit.

In today's Cook the Book recipe, Toni purées fresh mango chunks with lime juice, cilantro, and Asian chili paste to make a vibrant, tropical sauce for a meaty grilled tuna steak. She suggests pairing this restaurant-worthy dish with couscous and sautéed snow peas.

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Grilled Tuna with Mango Dipping Sauce

- makes 1 serving -
Adapted from Serves One by Toni Lydecker

Ingredients

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil or other vegetable oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
One 8-ounce tuna steak (about 1-inch thick) (see note)
1 cup loosely packed fresh mango cubes
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons cilantro leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon jarred Asian chili paste (sambal oelek) or hot pepper sauce, to taste

Procedure

1. Preheat a grill to medium-hot. Rub the oil and then the soy sauce over both sides of the tuna steak. Let the tuna stand while you prepare the mango sauce.

2. In a blender, combine the mango, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and chili paste (starting with 1/8 teaspoon and adjusting for taste) with 2 tablespoons water. Pulse until smooth, adding a little more water if the sauce seems too thick. Pour the sauce into a small bowl for dipping.

3. Grill the tuna steak, turning once, to desired doneness, about 6 minutes total for medium-rare. Place the steak and dipping sauce on a dinner plate, dip each bite of tuna in the sauce.

Note: Tuna steaks usually weigh about 1 pound each. If your fishmonger won't cut one in half for you, cut it yourself and freeze one portion. Tuna freezes extremely well.

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