Even a dish as simple as grilled tuna can get out of hand if the sauces and sides are calorically wacky. In this recipe, most of the minimal fat comes from the tuna—and the rest is from toasted sesame oil, which provides a lot of flavor. The ingredient that I really love here is the furikake, a Japanese rice seasoning made with bonito flakes, nori flakes, and other seasonings like sesame seeds, dried anchovies, or bits of egg—the sky is the limit. It can be found, along with prepared seaweed salad, at most Asian markets.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce

　　4 sushi-grade tuna steaks (4 ounces each)

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 1/2 cups seaweed salad

　　1 1/2 cups sliced grape tomatoes

　　4 scallions (white and green parts), sliced thin on the diagonal

　　4 tablespoons furikake mix

　　1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

　　1 tablespoon water

　　

Step 1

Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat.

　　

Step 2

Rub the chili garlic paste into the tuna, and season the tuna with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the tuna for 2 minutes per side for rare. Transfer it to a plate, and allow it to rest for a few minutes.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together the seaweed salad, tomatoes, scallions, 3 tablespoons of the furikake, sesame oil, and water. Divide the salad among 4 dinner plates or shallow bowls.

　　

Step 4

Thinly slice the tuna, and arrange the slices on top of the seaweed salad. Sprinkle the remaining furikake over the tuna, and serve.

　　

Nutritional Information:

Step 5

Fat: 22g (before), 7.5g (after)

　　

Step 6

Calories: 491 (before), 228 (after)

　　

Step 7

Protein: 29g

　　

Step 8

Carbohydrates: 10g

　　

Step 9

Cholesterol: 51mg

　　

Step 10

Fiber: 7g

　　

Step 11

Sodium: 366mg

　　Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2010 by Rocco DiSpirito. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Hailed as the "Leading Chef of his Generation" by Gourmet magazine, Rocco DiSpirito received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor. He went on to author Rocco's Italian-American (2004), Rocco's Five Minute Flavor (2005), Rocco's Real-Life Recipes (2007), and Rocco Gets Real (2009). DiSpirito also starred in the Food Network series Melting Pot, the NBC hit reality series The Restaurant, and the A&E series Rocco Gets Real.