Cooking With Wine Blog

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Contact Us
  • Our Story
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Contact Us
    • Our Story
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×
    Home » Salads & Sandwiches

    Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing

    Published: Jun 21, 2022 · Modified: Dec 17, 2023 by Angela and Mark · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    We have always been fans of sashimi, crudo, or raw fish recipes. And we love exploring different applications for a crudo-style seafood dish. In this case, a beautiful slightly seared ahi tuna steak encrusted with sesame seeds over a vibrant salad. Enjoying seared ahi as a meal on its own is great as well, especially with a nice dipping sauce (see this recipe for Seared Ahi with Spicy Dipping Sauce). But, this Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing makes a nice tasty appetizer or dinner salad when you want something fresh, healthy and delicious!

    Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing

    Cilantro Ginger Lime Salad Dressing

    The Cilantro Ginger Lime dressing is honestly great for any salad, but it especially works with this sesame crusted tuna. Not only that, it is also so easy to make!

    One ingredient that we use is a minced ginger paste. You can of course mince your own ginger, but we love this jar of Minced Ginger for this recipe instead. There are many minced ginger and ginger paste products out there that are easily accessible. So there really is no need to mess with fresh ginger if you don't want to. If you are near an Asian grocery store, you will be able to find many different choices like the one we linked above. Everything else in this dressing is very easy to find, so making this will be a breeze.

    Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad

    Finding Good Ahi Tuna

    For this recipe you want to find a good quality piece of ahi tuna. Because you are essentially eating raw fish, you want to be very confident that the fish you are buying is safe to eat. Try to find "sushi grade" or "sashimi grade" products. There is no actual federal grading agency for this, so proceed with caution and buy your fish from a source that you trust.

    We like the brand Hawaiian Select, which is packaged and stored as a frozen Ahi Tuna Saku Block. We find it here in Houston at Central Market. If you are buying straight from your fish monger, ask how fresh the fish is and try to avoid pre-cut pieces that have been sitting in the open air ice boxes to limit the amount of bacteria on the surface of the fish.

    Searing the Sesame Crusted Ahi

    Searing the fish in this application is a little tricky, but if you don’t accidentally remove the sesame seed crust from the fish, everything will be fine. A fish spatula comes in handy when flipping the tuna from one side to the other.

    We like the tuna cooked rare like this so it is lightly seared and raw in the middle. If you prefer a deeper sear, be sure to lower the heat just a bit and cook the fish longer so the sesame seeds do not burn.

    The other small technique that seems a little insignificant, but is not, is the use of just a little soy sauce to marinate the fish. We didn’t want a soy-based dressing, but soy sauce works perfectly for seasoning the tuna in a subtle way giving it a little something special.

    Cilantro Ginger Lime Salad Dressing over Seared Ahi

    Building You Salad

    As far as the salad, we prefer to add what is listed in the ingredients section, but there really are no rules when it comes to making your own salad. Use what you like and what you have and let the fish be the superstar here.

    When building your salad, make sure you toss everything in some of the dressing so that it is coated, then lay your sliced ahi on top. We like to serve the salad with additional dressing on the side in case your guests want a bit more drizzled over the top like we do!

    Enjoy!

    We hope that you enjoy this recipe for Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below, or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!

    Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing

    Looking for more recipes like this? Check these out:

    • Tiradito de Pescado: Peruvian Salmon with Spicy Pepper Sauce
    • Seared Ahi with Spicy Dipping Sauce
    • Yellowtail with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce and Spinach Orzo
    • Salmon with Mango Lime Cream Sauce

    📖 Recipe

    Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing

    Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing Recipe

    This Sesame Crusted Ahi Salad with Cilantro Ginger Lime Dressing makes a nice tasty appetizer or dinner salad! Check it out! This recipe can be made as 4 smaller salad or appetizer course servings, or 2 large dinner course servings.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 2 minutes mins
    Total Time 22 minutes mins
    Course Appetizers, Dinner, Salads
    Cuisine Asian-Inspired
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 456 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    For the Dressing

    • ¼ cup packed cilantro leaves
    • 2 tablespoon minced ginger puree
    • 3 tablespoon lime juice
    • 3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 7 tablespoon neutral oil (such as grapeseed, avocado, canola, or vegetable)
    • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

    For the Sesame Crusted Ahi

    • 1 Saku Block of Ahi Tuna (about 12-14 oz)
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 3 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

    For the Salad

    • 4 cups greens of your choice
    • ¼ cup bell pepper strips
    • ¼ cup daikon (or jicama) matchsticks
    • ¼ cup thinly sliced matchstick carrots
    • ¼ cup cilantro leaves
    • ½ small cucumber, sliced thin

    Garnish

    • Fresh cilantro leaves
    • Sliced green onions

    Instructions
     

    Prepare the Dressing

    • Add everything except the oils to a blender and thoroughly blend. Then, add the oils slowly while blending until you have an emulsification. Set aside.

    Prepare the Ahi Tuna

    • Dry the tuna with a paper towel and place it on a plate. Coat with the soy sauce on both sides and let the fish rest in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and pat the excess soy sauce off the fish. Brush the fish with 2 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with salt. On a dry surface, press the toasted sesame seeds into both sides of the fish.
    • Heat a cast iron or heavy skillet on medium high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoon of oil until the oil just starts to smoke. Cook the fish for 60 seconds per side, being careful when you flip the fish to not remove the sesame seed coating. Remove the fish to a cutting board, and with a sharp knife, slice the tuna into about ¼” slices. Serve over the dressed salad with extra dressing on the side.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 456kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 22gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 22gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 1484mgPotassium: 440mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 4097IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword cilantro, ginger, lime, salad dressing, seafood
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Do you love our recipes?

    We work hard to provide you with delicious FREE recipes here on Cooking With Wine. If you love and value our content and want to support our efforts, you can contribute whatever amount you are comfortable with below.

    Buy me a coffee

    We will continue to provide you with recipes no matter what, so there is no obligation to contribute! Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated!

    Thank you for being part of our community! You are the reason we do what we do!

    More Salads & Sandwiches

    • Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
      Zesty Italian Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing
    • Fresh Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
      Fresh Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette (5-minute Salad Dressing)
    • Easy Homemade Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe
      Easy Homemade Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe
    • Fall Spiced Pulled Pork Sliders
      Fall Spiced Pulled Pork Sliders

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Classically trained chef, Mark, and wife and food photographer, Angela, are the cooking duo behind Cooking with Wine! Our goal is to create delicious and approachable recipes that you can make at home. We strive to make every meal special!

    Read More

    Work with Us!

    Popular

    • Crunchy Chicken with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce
      Crunchy Chicken with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce

    • White Wine Vinegar Chicken
      Chicken with White Wine Vinegar Tomato Sauce and Spinach Orzo

    • Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta
      Creamy Cacio e Pepe Pasta

    • Red Wine Slow Braised Italian Beef Ragù
      Red Wine Slow Braised Italian Beef Ragù

    Never Miss A Recipe!

    Subscribe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Our Story

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • FAQ

    Copyright © 2023 Cooking with wine blog