When it comes to tuna burgers, all too often you are face with an over cooked, flavorless fish patty.  

Today, however, we have created the perfect tuna burger featuring sushi grade tuna grilled to a perfect medium-rare in order to maintain the rich flavor of the fish.  The tuna is then chopped by hand, seasoned just right, then served on a buttery brioche bun with pickled cucumber and charred shishito pepper mayonnaise.  

GRILLED ASIAN TUNA BURGER WITH PICKLED CUCUMBER AND SHISHITO PEPPER MAYO

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise

12 shishito peppers

1 1/2 tbsp. lime juice, divided

4 tuna steaks, approximately 6oz ea.

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 scallion thinly sliced

1 tsp. finely grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Pickled cucumber (recipe follows)

Spray canola oil

4 brioche buns, lightly toasted

Additional Tools

1 grilling basket

GrillGrates (optional)

Instructions

Prepare grill for high heat cooking, approximately 500 degrees.  Place shishito peppers in a vegetable grilling basket and grill for 4-5 minutes, turning frequently until completely charred. Remove the stem end of the peppers and roughly chop.  Place chopped peppers in a blender or food processor along with mayonnaise and 1/2 tbsp. lime juice and pulse until combined. Refrigerate the shishito mayo until ready to use.  If using, place GrillGrates* on the main grill cooking grate and cover the grill while preparing the burger patties.

Finely chop tuna filets then place in a large mixing bowl along with soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, 1 tbsp. lime juice, scallion, ginger, and pepper.  Blend well then form tuna mixture into 4 patties.  Lightly spray both sides of the patties with spray canola oil then grill for 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare.  

Remove patties from the grill and assemble burgers by spreading shishito pepper mayo on each top bun then placing a double layer of pickled cucumbers on each bottom bun, topped by a tuna patty, and the top bun.  Serve immediately. 

PICKLED CUCUMBER

Ingredients

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

Instructions

Combine apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a medium mixing bowl and blend well.  Add sliced cucumber and toss.  Place cucumbers and marinade into a resealable bag and seal while removing as much air as possible.  Place bag in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before draining the cucumbers and serving.

* GrillGrates are one of our favorite tools for creating a perfect sear while also minimizing flare-ups.  This post is in no way sponsored by GrillGrates.