Chili-Grilled Tuna over a "Bright" Salad

We had this tonight and loved it - it really fits this blog.

This is one of our favorite recipes and really fast and easy. Several years ago we had a couple of really nice ahi steaks and I made up this recipe. For once, it is a recipe that I rarely modify because I think I got it right the first time. I'm guessing at quantities, because I eyeball and taste the marinade until I'm happy, and part of the guesstimate is that (for some reason) I always mix the marinade up in an old scotch glass.

BTW, our daughter had some yellow pepper strips and leftover rice pilaf and chicken. She wasn't interested in the tuna, but she didn't throw it across the kitchen, either. So there is hope for a future fish-eater, right?

Chili-Grilled Tuna

a fairly thick cut of ahi tuna, maybe 1 lb?

Marinade:
~3 T toasted sesame oil (I aim for just a nutty hint in the flavour)
~1 T garlic chili paste (I love the kick!)
the juice of one lime (I like my marinade fairly lime-y)
generous pinch salt (Forgetting this really ruins the overall flavour)

Whisk together with a fork until blended. I like to put the steak in a ziplock and pour the marinade over it so I can squish the air out and "push" the marinade all around the meat. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how long your husband takes to get home). Flip it over a couple times if you remember - but don't worry if you forget, because that was why we squished the air out.

Grill tuna to desired doneness. As much as I love seared, rare tuna in good restaurants, I prefer to slightly overcook mine at home, so it is barely pink in the middle. We usually serve this tuna over a simple, "bright" salad (example below).

Simple "Bright" Salad
(I call this a bright salad because I pick multiple colours and use no oil in the dressing)

"Core" ingredients that I always use
Mixed baby greens (I like the colourful ones!)
Yellow or orange pepper, julienned (I use red, too, but I like the yellow/orange contrast with the tomatoes)
Red tomato, sliced in thin wedges
Green onion, in 1-inch chunks
Cucumber, in bite-sized chunks
Half of a tart apple, in small chunks

I may also include:
Raspberries
Blueberries
Croutons
Snap peas, cut into 1-inch chunks
A mild feta or raw mozzarella
?Anything else I feel like?

Dress with a generous splash of white balsamic vinegar, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and a generous sprinkle of salt (too little salt and it is "flat"). We ran out of white balsamic vinegar tonight, so I used some bing cherry balsamic vinegar and it was terrific (we had raspberries in tonight's salad, too).