Ahi Tuna Tester

I absolutely LOVE ahi tuna, especially the sashimi grade served rare!  One of our favorite Seattle happy hours, El Gaucho, has an awesome melt-in-your-mouth ahi tuna appetizer that is served with an array of toppings to put on crostini.  When I ordered this I had to keep a straight face, because the waiter marched over and knelt down next to me, asking permission to mix the toppings together.  He took two spoons and started gently mixing the ingredients, remaining very serious with an intent look on his face.  Then like magic, the delectable appy was ready.  It is a somewhat beguiling mixture, but very delicious.  I decided to try this at home, and I swear it makes the tuna even better tasting!

Ingredients:
1 diced jalapeno
handful of toasted pine nuts
handful of capers
about 2 teaspoons of chopped sauteed shallot
1 ahi tuna sashimi grade steak

Season the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat a pan with a little olive oil over medium-high heat.  Sear for about a minute and a half on each side, so it stays very pink in the middle.  Put in the fridge to cool.  While the tuna chilled, I basically toasted the pine nuts over low heat for a short bit, then sauteed the shallots, chopped all the ingredients, mixed them together and bam! toppings were done.  Cut the tuna against the grain into thin slices and arrange nicely on a platter, with the toppings in the middle. I added a small drizzle of teriyaki over the tuna for added flavor, which was very tasty. Spoon over tuna and serve with crostini.