A tart and sweet mango-lime
salsa tops grilled tuna and tender asparagus. A feast for the
eyes as well as the taste buds.
Grilled
Ahi Tuna with Asparagus and Mango & Lime Salsa
4 mangos, peeled pitted
and cut into 1/8-inch dice*
2 limes, peeled and sectioned**
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon honey
6 (6-ounce) ahi tuna steaks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Combine mango, lime sections
and jalapeño in a small saucepan with vinegar. Bring to
a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add water if mixture
appears too dry. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat grill.
- Heat olive oil in a large,
heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add asparagus
and sauté for 2 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Add the
cilantro, stock, lime juice and honey. Cook, stirring occasionally
for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Oil grill before cooking.
Season tuna on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill tuna until
desired doneness is reached, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare.
- Make a bed of asparagus
on each serving plate. Top with tuna, then spoon mango salsa
on top. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings.
Cooking Tip: The green
color of the asparagus will lessen the longer it sits in the
acidic lime juice. Grill the tuna as soon as possible after making
asparagus if you want to preserve the color. Or mix in lime juice
just before serving, if desired.
*To Peel a Mango: Stand
the mango on end and slice down along the sides of the large
flat pit with a boning knife or other long, flexible knife, curving
around the pit as you slice. You will end up with three sections:
two larger, rounded sections and a flat center section. Score
the fruit in each rounded section lengthwise into slices, then
crosswise into chunks, if desired. Holding a rounded section
by its edges, push at the curved bottom to turn the rind inside
out. The slices or chunks can then be cut away from the rind.
Trim away rind from the flat center section and separate as much
fruit as possible from the pit. Always cut away from yourself
and be careful - mango is very slippery.
**To Section Lime: With
a sharp chef's knife, slice off the top and bottom so the lime
will stand on end. Proceed to slice the peel off from top to
bottom, making sure to slice away all the white pith and the
outer membrane of the lime sections. When you are through, each
lime section should come out easily, though you may need a paring
knife to separate it from the dividing membranes. Do this last
part over a bowl to catch any juices you may need.