Ahi Tuna

Mix olive oil and lemon juice together. (I use a small mason jar, seal it tight, and shake well!) Lightly coat tuna with olive oil/lemon mixture and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place tuna over med-high heat and cook for approximately 3 minutes to sear the outside. Turn over and brush with Smokin’ Willie’s Shanghai BBQ Sauce. Cook 3 to 5 minutes (about ¼ of the way). Turn over indirect heat and brush Shanghai BBQ Sauce over the top to create a glaze. The finished ahi tuna should be cooked 1/3 of the way on each side with the center 1/3 still pink. You can cook it longer for those who prefer their fish cooked more.

Serve and enjoy with white or brown rice, stir fry vegetables, Bicna’s Pork Salad, and/or Shanghai Lettuce Wraps.

• 15 minutes (for the grill) preparation time
• 15 minutes (grill) cook time
• Makes

About Ahi Tuna

This recipe was conjured up while Chef Michael and I were working on the development of the Shanghai BBQ Sauce. It is so good that I can get kids who do not like fish to eat ahi tuna and like it!

I was doing a food demo at Whole Foods in Studio City—grilling on a BBQ outside and cooking Ahi Tuna with my Shanghai Sauce. A woman and her son were walking by and the young man, about ten years old, made a comment about how good it smelled. His mother asked what I was sampling and I told her Ahi Tuna with my Shanghai BBQ sauce. She told her son and he said that he did not like fish but would be willing to give it a try. I gave him a small sample; he had one bite, smiled, and asked for more. I gave him a big piece of tuna and he told his mom that he liked this fish! They went back into the store and bought 2 bottles of the Smokin’ Willie’s Shanghai BBQ Sauce and some ahi tuna.

Suggested Listening