I love my Weber grill. I have the Weber Genesis Gold C gas grill with the auxilliary burner and all stainless steel construction. This thing is a complete workhorse as I grill 2 to 4 times a week year round and nothing has broken on it in eight years of service. I love the
simplicity of walking over, turning on the burner, pushing the little starter button, and hearing the WOOSSH! as the gas ignites. I do a pre-cooking burn down which means that I turn the grill on high and raise the temperature to at least 500 degrees. This burns off any food, oils, or bacteria that may have been lurking since that last time I used the grill. I brush it down and we're ready to go, a total of about ten minutes grill preparation any time I want to use it.
When grilling, one important lesson to learn is to not play with your food. Get the temperature set where you want it, put the food on the grill, put the grill cover on, halfway through the cooking time flip the food, put the cover back on and then wait until done. There is a reason that even charcoal grills come with a lid and that is so that the grill acts like a little oven to cook your food. The one exception to this rule is when I'm grilling tuna steaks. I get the best tuna I can, sashimi quality if it is available. (Note: Sashimi quality doesn't mean that the tuna itself is better, it just means that the tuna wasn't prepared with any other fish and there was no cross contanimation) The reason is that when a tuna steak is cooked properly, it is just seared on the outside, it is still pink and rare on the inside. This only takes a couple of minutes on a grill over direct high heat and closing the cover drives the heat deeper into the fish flesh, causing it to be overcooked.
It is the grilled tuna steaks that are the center piece for my Sesame Crusted Tuna with Some and Snow Peas. Nothing in this meal takes more than three minutes cooking time, and it is incredibly easy to prepare. It is one of those meals that you can use to impress company with but I think it works better for an intimate dinner for two. Serve with a light and crisp wine like an Alsatian Reisling or Sauvignon Blanc.
Sesame Crusted Tuna with Somen and Snow Peas
4 tuna steaks about 6 ounces each
1/2 lb snow peas
2 bundles Japanese somen noodles (approx 2/5 lbs.)
1 clove garlic - minced
6 Tbs white sesame seeds
2 Tbs black sesame seeds
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp prepared wasabi
1/2 tsp sesame oil (divided)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
spray olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Clean and remove the string from the snow pea pods. Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the snow peas and the red pepper flakes. Saute over high heat for 3 minutes, remove from heat and toss 1/4 tsp sesame oil with the snow peas.
Bring four quarts of water to a boil. Boil the somen noodles for three minutes. Drain thoroughly.
On a small plate mix the white and black sesame seeds. On another small plate combine the soy sauce, wasabi and 1/4 tsp sesame oil.
Prepare the tuna by lightly spraying with olive oil then adding the kosher salt and pepper to both sides. Grill the tuna over direct high heat for one to one and a half minutes per side.
Place a mound of somen noodles in the center of the serving plate. Dip each side of the tuna steak in the soy/wasabi mixture then press each side onto the sesame seeds. Place on top of the somen noodles on the serving plate. Arrange 1/4 of the snow peas around the tuna and somen. Serves four.
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