Ahi Tuna

It’s Tempting Tuesday—where I thought my recipes were going to be more on the high calorie and high fat side, but “don’t believe everything you read, and only half of what you see,” is what my husband likes to spout off now and then.

My husband and I had the good fortune to take a trip to Maui and visited Momma’s Fish House. We had Ahi Tuna for lunch and it cost over $100 for the two of us, and I don’t drink! If tuna can melt in your mouth, this does. Exquisite. We’ve been hard pressed to find anything better, and at that price, I hope we don’t.

We’ve grilled our own, trial and error, and have come as close as one can with our last attempt. I’m sure Momma’s tuna was caught that morning, so we have a big disadvantage. We settled for a bag of six pieces for around $12—that would make our Ahi Tuna dinner $2 each, add some veggies and maybe we’ve spent a total of $4 tops. Yes, restaurants have overhead, chefs to pay, waiters and waitresses to employ—and then there’s the ambiance. The ocean breeze that gently crosses your face, the Hawaiian sun, the swish sounds of waves hitting the shore. Maybe the $100 wasn’t that stiff after all.

So our Ahi Tuna: Grill on high (hot) heat 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side. You’re basically searing and cooking the outside a fraction of an inch. You want the tuna rare on the inside, otherwise you may as well open a can of Sunkist. No comparison. I had sprinkled the Ahi with some Lemon Pepper.

My husband and I can pretend the waterfall sound in our backyard is the ocean, and that he is a renowned chef (cough, cough) and I’m the friendly waitress (so true). You get what you pay for—usually. I’d say we are running a close second to Momma’s, but so much cheaper!

Ingredients:
Ahi Tuna
Lemon Pepper

Rating & Type: E/F