Ingredients
2 pounds fresh tuna steak, cut into chunks
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3-4 tablespoons Tamari (dark soy sauce)
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sesame oil (eyeball it)
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Steak Seasoning (a palmful)
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
Coarse salt
4 sesame Kaiser rolls, split
1/4 cup prepared wasabi mustard, such as Stonewall Kitchen brand, plus extra for serving (optional)
Red or green leaf lettuce
1/2 cup mango chutney (found in the condiment or international foods aisle), plus extra for serving (optional)
Pickled ginger, for serving
Root vegetable chips, for serving
Directions
Place the tuna in a food processor and pulse until it reaches the consistency of ground beef. In a large bowl, combine the ground tuna with the garlic, ginger, Tamari (eyeball it), scallions, bell pepper, sesame oil and grill seasoning. Form the meat into four large patties. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tuna patties to the large skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side for rare, or for 4 minutes on each side for well done. While the burgers work, sauté the mushrooms for 5 minutes in the medium skillet. When the mushrooms are tender, salt them to taste. To assemble the burgers, spread the roll bottoms with the wasabi mustard; top with the lettuce, burgers and mushrooms. Slather the bun tops with the mango chutney and set in place. Pass around extra mustard and chutney at the table, if desired. Serve the tuna burgers with pickled ginger and root vegetable chips.