EASTERN STYLE TUNA NICOISE SALAD WITH TEA MARBLED EGGS AND WASABI VINAIGRETTE

Eastern Style Tuna Nicoise Salad with Tea Marbled Eggs and Wasabi Vinaigrette image

Provided by Food Network

Time 1h40m

Yield 2 to 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 28

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon peeled grated ginger
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Two 6 to 8-ounce Ahi tuna steaks
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
Juice of 1 lemon or 1/4 cup clear rice vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon light brown sugar
Pinch sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
Sea salt
2 tablespoons peanut oil
8 ounces French green beans, blanched
4 ounces mixed greens
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
8 Tea-Marbled Quail Eggs, recipe follows, or 2 large eggs, medium-boiled and quartered
1 small Romaine lettuce heart, thinly shredded crosswise
2 teaspoons brined capers, drained
8 pitted kalamata olives
12 fresh quail eggs
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
3 whole star anise
2 black tea bags

Steps:

For the tuna: Whisk together the mirin, ginger and soy until combined. Add the tuna, toss well to coat, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
For the wasabi vinaigrette: Whisk together the soy sauce, wasabi paste and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Add the oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly until combined. Season with the sugar, salt and white pepper and stir well.
For the salad: Remove the tuna from the marinade, shake off the excess and sprinkle the five-spice powder and sea salt equally over all sides. Heat a cast-iron skillet or flat griddle over high heat. Add the oil and heat until rippling, and then sear the tuna in the hot pan, 1 minute per side. Let the tuna rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.
To serve, divide the green beans, mixed greens, tomatoes, Tea-Marbled Quail Eggs and Romaine 2 plates. Fan the tuna slices over the top, scatter the capers and olives over the salads and drizzle the dressing evenly over each plate.
Put the quail eggs in a small saucepan and cover with 2 cups of cold water. Add the five-spice, dark soy, light soy, sugar, star anise and tea bags and heat over high heat until the water begins to bubble. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Lift the eggs, a few at a time, out of the liquid with a slotted spoon and crack them all over with the back of a teaspoon, leaving the shells on. Return the eggs to the liquid and let stand until cooled. Chill the eggs in their liquid in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. Peel the eggs and rinse briefly just before serving.