Ahi Poke Crostini with Wasabi Creme Fraiche

Copyright 2006 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:

For poke:
6 oz. ahi tuna (sushi grade), finely diced
1 T sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
1 t Hawaiian Alaea sea salt (or other coarse sea salt)
juice from one lime

For wasabi creme fraiche:
3 T creme fraiche
1 t wasabi powder
2 t hot water

Also:
6 slices of your favorite bread (cut each thin slices into four squares)
2 T unsalted butter
1 stalk of green onion for garnish (julienned)

Start by preparing the creme fraiche. In a medium bowl, mix wasabi powder with hot water to create a smooth wasabi mixture (add more water if needed). Then whisk in creme fraiche. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to let the wasabi flavor set into the creme fraiche. (You can use more wasabi if you want it extra spicy, but remember that not all your guests may be used to the punch from wasabi. A teaspoon is enough to give a subtle wasabi kick to the creme fraiche.)

In another bowl, combine diced ahi tuna with sesame oil, soy sauce, sea salt and lime juice. Refrigerate.

Place your bread squares on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Lightly butter the pieces and then bake in oven at 400 degrees until they’re toasted.

To assemble your crostini, place a tiny spoonful of your poke on the toast square. Then place a dollop of wasabi creme fraiche on top. Garnish with a thinly julienned piece of green onion. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Makes 24 bite-size squares.

Serve with chilled sake.

TIP: When shopping for your ahi tuna, it’s important to get the freshest tuna that’s sushi grade. Go to a fish market you trust. The piece of ahi shouldn’t smell fishy and it should not fatty and oily, not dried out.

STRIP THE CROSTINI: If you want to try something different, you can make this poke and lay it on an endive leaf. Endives make a nice holder for the poke and it’s less work than making the toast squares. (But you’ll lose the crunch from the crostini.) Another idea is to place the poke on nori sheets cut into bite-sized square.

GET AN UPGRADE: While this is already a classy appetizer, you can make it an even more special New Year’s Eve dish by topping it with a bit of caviar instead of the green onion. If you use caviar, reduce the sodium in this recipe by eliminating the sea salt.

PINK LIKE THE CLAY: Hawaiian Alaea sea salt is great with the meaty flavor of ahi tunu because this particular sea salt has an earthier taste. Alaea means baked clay and that gives this natural sea salt from Hawaii its beautiful pink color. You can find this pink sea salt at many gourmet grocery stores or from your friends and family in Hawaii. ;-)