Tropical Ahi Tuna Volcano Salad Recipe

I discovered this recipe totally by accident.  I was trying to create a simple tropical inspired salad with the sashimi grade tuna I had just bought.  I wanted to stack the ingredients; but, I had nothing to use as a mold.  That’s when I decided to use a big, bpa-free plastic cup.  When I lifted the cup, after turning it upside down over the lettuce, I noticed a stack that reminded me of a volcano.  Boom!  This salad was born!

I’ve made it a few times since then.  It always gets rave reviews by guests.  They love the volcano look.  The last few times, I added beet root powder to the dressing.  It looks like lava coming down the volcano!  It’s unbelievably cool!

Tropical Ahi Tuna Volcano Salad

Marinade

½ cup coconut aminos,Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Aminos

1 Tbsp raw honey,YS Organic Bee Farms CERTIFIED ORGANIC RAW HONEY

1 tsp sesame seed oil, Spectrum Naturals Organic Sesame Oil — 8 fl oz

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

¼ tsp sea salt, The Spice Lab Finely Ground Pure Himalayan

Salad

2 Ahi tuna steaks, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 large cucumber, diced

½ red onion, diced

2 medium ripe avocados, diced (peeled & pitted)

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

4 cups mixed greens

½ cup banana chips,Trader Joe’s Organic Banana Chips

1 handful Macadamia nuts, chopped, Raw Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts

Dressing

2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos

1 Tbsp raw honey

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup fresh pineapple, lime, or mango juice

Dash salt & Pepper

1) Marinate Tuna chunks by placing ingredients in resealable bag or container.  Make sure tuna is covered in marinade.  Place container in fridge for 20 minutes to 2 hours.

2) To assemble salad, divide lettuce into 2 to 4 servings.   Basically, if you want two big salads, place lettuce on two plates; four, if you want four small salads.  In a medium bowl, mix together cucumber, red onion, and avocado.  Place mixture in a 12 ounce cup or mold. Press down lightly.  Add marinated tuna to cup or mold.  Press down lightly.  Place cup, upside down, over middle of lettuce.  Slowly lift cup, while guiding ingredients into dome shape.  Some of the ingredients will fall into lettuce.  That’s okay.  You want it to have the appearance of a crumbling volcano. Sprinkle Ahi volcano with sesame seeds and macadamia nuts.

3) Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Drizzle over Ahi volcano and salad greens. If you want to go super fancy, you can add a little beet root powder to the dressing.  That will make the dressing look like lava, coming down the volcano.  It’s pretty cool lookin’!

4) Enjoy salad and all the compliments you’ll receive!