Seared Ahi Tuna with Mango Salad

You want to use very fresh fish for this recipe as it is seared and will be raw in the middle.

For the salad:
1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (measure after chopping)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed (if you like garlic go for 2 cloves)
Celtic salt
lime juice, freshly squeezed
sambal oelek, optional

For the fish:
2 big ahi tuna steaks, about 1" thick
lime juice, freshly squeezed
Celitc salt
fresh ground black pepper

Prepare the salad first. Mix the mango, bell pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro in a medium sized mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt, a few tablespoons of lime juice, and about a teaspoon of sambal oelek. Mix it up and let sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

Take the fish out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you are going to cook it. Put it on a plate and rub each side with lime juice. Just before cooking give each side a sprinkle of Celtic salt.

Preheat a cast iron or stainless steel frying pan over medium heat. When hot, give it 5 minutes or so, place the fish in the pan. It will sizzle and be a bit noisy, but don't worry, it's supposed to do that. The fish won't stick if your pan is hot enough when you put it in. Cook for about 1 minute per side, remember this is going to be raw in the middle.

Yes, it makes a bit of a mess of your pan, which is why I prefer to use stainless steel. You can soak it in soapy water after and you can't do that with cast iron.

Plate the fish and give it a couple grinds of black pepper. Serve with the mango salad. De-lish!