Banh Mi with Seared Ahi Tuna
Seared ahi, sriracha aioli, pickled veg and fresh herbs. Traditional? No. Delicious? Hells yeah.
My daughter went to Vietnam for a school trip and came back with a love of Vietnamese cuisine. You may not find this surprising, since Vietnamese food is fucking delicious. But this girl survived on mac and cheese and chicken nuggets for nearly fifteen years, so for me, this was a delightful surprise.
Upon her return, she was flabbergasted to learn that there were Vietnamese restaurants in town! Really? How could I have hid this from her for so long? (Um, they don’t sell mac and cheese?) And then she was requesting Vietnamese food all the time. She was like a crackhead…or like a trust fund kid living next to a Louis Vuitton boutique. Take your pick.
Alas, our tour of local Viet-cuisine was cut short by the pandemic. But once I mentioned that we could make our own bahn mi, all was right with the world.
Note that we are culinary tourists here, and do not claim any sort of authenticity in this recipe. For that, plus the history of all things bahn mi, head over to Andrea Nguyen’s site, Viet World Kitchen. She is my go to for Vietnamese recipes, and is super smart and engaging to boot. 💯
My usual bahn mi filling is grilled lemongrass pork. This gets layered on a baguette with do chua (pickled carrot and daikon), fresh cilantro and cucumber, maybe some red pepper, definitely sliced jalapeño, and mayo - often blended with cilantro and hot peppers, or just with sriracha. Paté is an optional spread, and we include it from time to time as a treat, although my daughter has discovered that caramelized onions are a great substitute - they bring earthy depth and sweetness to the sandwich.
Don’t feel like you need to make something special to make a bahn mi. Use what you have! We’ve used carnitas, leftover steak, baked salmon, scrambled eggs, you name it. Basically, we’ll use any excuse to make a sandwich with cilantro and do chua, because they are so freaking delicious.
Recently I had a hankering for poke bowls, and so I had some sushi-grade fish shipped from Hawaii (Honolulu Fish Market: Five stars!!!!). There was plenty of extra ahi, so I cut a few steaks and seared them.
Ahi gettin’ it on with ginger, garlic, serranos and sesame.
After a quick sear in a hot pan.
After searing, we sliced the ahi steaks into thin, delectable strips. Of course we put them in banh mi.
Was it delicious? Yes, it was.
Was it a tuna sandwich? No. Not even close.
Would I do it again? Bitch, please… I already have.
A rare treat… Get it?
Shit You Need
This will make enough for 4 big-ass banh mi.
For the seared ahi tuna steaks:
Sushi-grade ahi tuna, cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch thick steaks, 12-16 ounces total
1/4 cup of soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
One inch of ginger root, peeled and minced
one serrano chile, halved and sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
For the do chua:
One large carrot, cut into matchstick-sized julienne
One half daikon radish, cut into matchstick-sized julienne. Aim for 50% more daikon than carrot in your final mix.
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
For the banh mi:
Vietnamese or French baguette. Or a Mexican bolillo roll. I used homemade ciabatta rolls, which were a little more crusty than ideal, but still damn good. You either need a petite baguette or a length of baguette cut to 7 or 8 inches long.
Seared ahi tuna steaks, sliced into strips
Mayonnaise, store-bought or homemade. Add sriracha to taste, or blend it up with herbs and chiles and lime juice. You do you.
Seedless cucumbers, sliced thinly into stylish ellipses
Jalapeños, sliced thinly
Fresh cilantro leaves. You can also throw in basil or mint, or both.
Do chua
Maggi seasoning (optional)
Do chua, a quick Vietnamese pickle of carrot and daikon.
Keep Calm and justeffingcook
For the ahi steaks:
To a small bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, serrano and garlic and whisk to combine.
Heat a small skillet over medium-high and add the sesame seeds. Stir and shake the pan to keep them moving until they are light golden brown. Add them to the soy sauce mixture.
Place the ahi steaks in a small roasting pan or a large ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over them. If using a pan, flip them to coat, and cover. If using a bag, much the marinade around to coat. Place the steaks in the refrigerator to marinate for an hour or two.
Heat a large, preferably cast-iron or carbon steel pan over med-high heat. Add a tablespoon or two of canola, grapeseed or avocado oil (you need a high smoking point oil). Add the steaks and sear for one minute per side. They should turn golden brown, but not stay so long the flesh inside begins to cook.
Let the ahi rest until cool, then slice.
For the do chua:
Add the carrot and daikon matchsticks to a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons sugar. Toss until the veggies start to sweat. Leave for 30 minutes.
Drain the water from the bowl. Dry the veggies on paper towels and rinse the bowl.
Return the veggies to the bowl and add the remaining sugar, hot water, and vinegar. Let steep at room temperature one hour.
Do chua can be used right away, or transferred to a mason jar and kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Banh mi:
Slice each baguette nearly all the way through, but not quite. You want the hinge to hold all the yummy inside.
Spread each half with the mayonnaise or aioli.
To the bottom half, add jalapeño slices and a generous layer of cilantro leaves and/or other herbs.
Add 1/4 of the ahi slices you’ve prepared.
Top with sliced cucumber and finally, do chua. If you happen to have Maggi seasoning, sprinkle a little on the top half of the bread.
Slam the lid and eat!
