sesame and ginger grilled tuna steaks

yes, the functional foodie is still alive. we've been very busy! vacations, new babies and an engagement! george and i got engaged on June 16 on Martha's Vineyard... we are very excited, but onto the food!!


my dad caught a decent sized yellow fin tuna a few days ago and i was lucky enough to snag a few steaks off of him. this was super easy and delicious!

2 tuna steaks, 3/4 inch thickness

3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (lime juice would work too)

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 green onions, chopped

dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

prepare your marinade in a 2 inch deep glass dish. place the tuna steaks in the marinade for 15 minutes per side.

once the steaks are finished marinating, preheat a grill pan (or grill) to medium-high. grill them for about 3 minutes per side. i like my tuna on the rare side. obviously, cook to your liking.

this would be served great with grilled vegetables or mango salsa.

big dave's mango salsa



i suppose it would be delicious on marlin too :)
big dave is in the blue hat...


this is my dad's recipe that i have been making a lot lately. it is amazing on a salad and even more amazing over grilled fish; black sea bass being my favorite.




3 large mangos
handful of cilantro, rinsed well and finely chopped
half a jalepeno, minced
1 cup of grape tomatoes, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, minced
juice of 2 limes
salt & pepper










mangoes have a very large flat seed in the middle. as opposed to confusing the hell out of everyone trying to explain how to do it, i found a video that explains it much more clearly and concisely than i ever could...

once your mangoes are all chopped up to relatively the same size, add the rest of your ingredients to the bowl and mix well. taste it to check for seasonings and then refrigerate. i find the longer it sits, the better it gets.

salmon burgers

3 tins of canned wild caught salmon (i use the TJ's brand)
2 lemons, juiced and 1 tsp. of zest
2 heaping tablespoons of capers, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
2 shallots, finely diced
2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
1/4 cup of almond flour
2 eggs
olive oil
sea salt & pepper

start by sauteing the shallots in olive oil for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.

in the meantime, drain the salmon well and flake until there are no more large chunks.

next, add the fresh thyme, capers, garlic, salt and pepper to the shallots. let this cook for an additional couple of minutes. do not let the garlic burn! next add the lemon juice and zest. let this completely reduce until all of the liquid is gone. it should take 3 or 4 minutes. let this mixture cool a few minutes before adding it to the salmon. add the almond flour and eggs to the salmon. mix everything well.

preheat a skillet to medium high and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. divide the salmon mixture into four equal parts and form together the burgers. GENTLY place them into the skillet.

brown them on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side.




a little more brown than i wanted....

 this was PWO so we served it with a sweet potato hash...

fluke filets and asparagus

i always have a freezer full of fresh fish. i could never eat the all the fish we catch as soon as we catch it. today i pulled out some amazing fluke filets. fluke are a really fun species to fish for.

i pre-heated my grill pan to medium high. i dried the filets and rubbed them generously with a couple tablespoons each of old bay seasoning. coat the grill pan in a small amount of olive oil and grill the filets. ONLY TOUCH THEM ONCE TO TURN. resist the urge to play with them.

i put a bag of frozen asparagus on a sheet pan, drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. then i threw them into a 350 degree oven for just about 10 minutes. we like them still a little firm and not soggy.

this is a common staple in our house

this meal took less than 15 minutes... and the reviews were great!