Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Cucumber Noodles

Ingredients

• 2 fresh tuna steaks, about 180g each, 3cm thick
• salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 tbsp mixed black and white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 large cucumbers, peeled into ribbons or spiralised
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• pickled ginger, to serve
• miso soup, to serve

Method

1. Whisk the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, honey and lime juice together in a small bowl until the honey dissolves and the dressing looks glossy. Taste it — most of the salt comes from the soy, but it should land sharp, salty, and just-sweet in that order.
2. Toss the cucumber ribbons with the spring onions and about two-thirds of the dressing. Leave to marinate for 5 minutes — the ribbons soften slightly and take on a glossy sheen. Hold the remaining third back; that's your pan swirl.
3. Press the sesame seeds firmly onto all sides of the tuna steaks, coating them in a thick even crust. Season generously with salt and black pepper before they hit the pan — the crust needs the seasoning baked into it, not sprinkled on after.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy stainless or cast-iron pan over the highest heat until it is properly smoking — this is non-negotiable for a good crust. Sear the tuna one steak at a time for 60 seconds per side; crowd the pan and the temperature crashes, the seeds steam instead of toasting, and you lose the crust. You're after a thick golden sesame shell with the centre still raw and deep red.
5. Lift the tuna out to a board and rest for 1 minute. With the pan still hot, splash in the reserved dressing and swirl for 20 seconds until it bubbles and turns glossy — that's your finishing sauce, not a glaze stuck to the fish.
6. Taste the warmed dressing and adjust now — a touch more lime juice if it needs lift, a pinch of salt if the soy hasn't carried it. Adjust at the board, not at the table.
7. Divide the cucumber noodles between two plates, lifting them high so the dressing pools underneath. Slice the tuna thickly with a sharp knife and fan over the top. Spoon the warm pan dressing over the tuna, scatter with the toasted sesame seeds and the spring onion greens, and serve with steamed jasmine rice, pickled ginger alongside, and a bowl of miso soup.