Morimoto Tuna Pizza
I haven’t been to Morimoto in a while but I remember one of the best appetizers I tried was a “tuna pizza” with tuna sashimi, jalapeño, red onion, olives and an anchovy aioli atop a crisp, thin flour tortilla. Rather to go back and pay the hefty price I figured out how to make it myself. Yes, I’m cheap that way.
The genius here is to brush the top of the tortilla with “eel sauce”, the classic BBQ sauce that goes with Japanese unagi, before grilling it. The rest is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. The hardest decision you’ll face will be to either go with a swirl or criss-cross pattern with the anchovy aioli. You don’t like anchovies? No problem. Use sriracha instead. You don’t like sriracha? Stick to Domino Pizza. You arrange harmoniously a sprinkling of colorful vegetables and olives on top, slice and go. It will be the most delicious two-minutes you ever spent.
Who said that cooking was difficult?
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Morimoto Tuna Pizza
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- Adapted from Morimoto
- Serves 4
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For the tuna pizza:
- 4 flour tortillas, about 7 inches in diameter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup barbecued eel sauce (available in Asian specialty stores)
- 10 ounces sushi-grade tuna, thinly sliced
- 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- Anchovy Aioli (see recipe below)
- Baby cilantro or sprouts, for garnish
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For the anchovy Aioli:
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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For the tuna pizza:
- Start a barbecue grill or set a cast-iron grill pan over medium heat. Brush each tortilla lightly on both sides with olive oil. Brush 2 tablespoons of the barbecued eel sauce over one side of each tortilla.
- Grill, sauced side down, for 1 to 2 minutes, until lightly browned grill marks appear. Rotate 90 degrees and grill for 1 to 2 minutes, until crisscross marks appear and the tortillas are fairly crisp. Turn the tortillas over and grill until the second side is crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool.
- Arrange tuna slices over the tortillas. Scatter the jalapeño peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and olives over the tortilla. Drizzle the Anchovy Aioli decoratively over the pizza. Garnish with cilantro or sprouts.
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For the anchovy Aioli:
- In a food processor, combine the egg yolks, vinegar, lemon juice, anchovy paste, and soy sauce. Blend well. With the machine on, very slowly add the olive oil and vegetable oil in a slow, thin stream, processing until the mayonnaise is emulsified and thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.