Wasabi Peanut Crusted Ahi Tuna Over a Sesame Cucumber Avocado Salad

David is working late tonight! What does that mean to me?  In jammies by 6:00. The View, The Chew and The Food Network on the television all night.  (David would say, what's new about that?) And I can have whatever I want for dinner!

When I was shopping like crazy in my new favorite store, Your Kitchen Store, I ran across some wasabi peanuts. (I had THE BEST wasabi peanuts at The Four Seasons in Austin and I haven't been able to find them since. They had this awesome crunchy coating.  Every time I see a new brand, I buy them in hopes they are the same. They never are.)  These were very good, but not as "munchable" as those from Austin. I decided they would make an excellent breading, a delicious topping on pad thai or a spicy addition to Chex mix.  David doesn't care for the wasabi flavor, not to mention the spice level, so tonight was my night to use them.  

Plus, Nancy gave me a new rolling pin and I wanted to put it to some good use.  I crushed peanuts and cookies. (But I'll get to that in a minute.)

I am terrible at recipes. I rarely use them. I don't really even know how estimate what I did. I just add ingredients, taste, adjust and go on.  But this is the basic idea:

Salt and pepper a fresh ahi tuna steak. Set out a few minutes to get closer to room temperature. Heat pan to VERY hot. Coat tuna in a mixture of crushed wasabi peanuts, panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds. Sear on high heat, leaving a fleshy bright pink center.

Serve over a cucumber salad. To make the salad, thinly slice an english cucumber. Combine dressing in a bowl to taste: salt, pepper, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. Dress cucumbers and sprinkle with sesame seeds. I had an avocado and a few grape tomatoes, so I added them as well. Lime or cilantro might also be nice.  It was a really pretty dish and absolutely DELICIOUS!

I was in the mood for a dessert. Not just any dessert: a strawberry and mascarpone dessert! I crushed chocolate wafer cookies into crumbs and added some melted butter for a bottom cookie crust.  Then I whipped  mascarpone with some vanilla, a little powdered sugar, a dash of orange juice and a dollop of whipping cream.  I folded in strawberries and assembled.  Here's what I came up with: