Grilled Tuna Burgers with Wasabi and Pickled Ginger
By Joe GitterPublished on June 1, 2020
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise 1½ tablespoons wasabi powder 1 teaspoon soy sauce ½ teaspoon water 1¼ pounds tuna steaks 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger, plus 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, divided1 garlic clove, minced½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 8 large leaves iceberg lettuce 6 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin2 scallions, sliced thin on bias
Before You Begin
Do not let these burgers overcook; tuna tends to get very dry when cooked for too long.
Instructions
- Whisk mayonnaise, wasabi, soy sauce, and water together in bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Chop tuna into 1/4‑inch pieces. Using rocking motion, continue to chop tuna until it is coarsely chopped into pieces roughly 1/8 inch each; transfer to bowl. Add minced pickled ginger and garlic and gently knead with hands until well combined. Using lightly moistened hands, divide tuna mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into 1‑inch-thick patty. Place patties on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave burners on high.
- Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Season patties with salt and pepper.
- Using greased spatula, place patties on grill and cook until well browned on first side and patties easily release from grill, about 3 minutes. Gently flip patties and continue to cook until well browned on second side, centers are still reddish pink when checked with tip of paring knife, and burgers register 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stack lettuce leaves together to create 4 lettuce wraps. Serve burgers on lettuce wraps, topped with wasabi mayonnaise, radishes, scallions, and remaining 2 tablespoons pickled ginger.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons wasabi powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon water
1¼ pounds tuna steaks
2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger, plus 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
8 large leaves iceberg lettuce
6 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons wasabi powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon water
1¼ pounds tuna steaks
2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger, plus 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
8 large leaves iceberg lettuce
6 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons wasabi powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon water
1¼ pounds tuna steaks
2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger, plus 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
8 large leaves iceberg lettuce
6 radishes, trimmed and sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias
Why This Recipe Works
Like salmon burgers, tuna burgers tend to be dry and disappointing. For burgers with good texture and flavor, we hand-chopped the fish and then combined it with a little garlic and ginger. These additions paired well with the tuna’s distinctive flavor without overpowering it. The delicate nature of these burgers made them prone to sticking, but wiping the grill grate with well-oiled paper towels multiple times to build up a stick-resistant coating solved this problem. Coating the spatula with vegetable oil spray also helped loosen the burgers from the cooking grate. Tuna is a very lean fish, so to avoid dry burgers we made sure we didn’t overcook them, taking them off the grill when they reached medium-rare. A simple wasabi mayonnaise paired wonderfully with the tuna, and in place of the traditional bun we served these delicate burgers in crisp lettuce wraps along with a few crunchy vegetables.
Before You Begin
Do not let these burgers overcook; tuna tends to get very dry when cooked for too long.
Instructions
- Whisk mayonnaise, wasabi, soy sauce, and water together in bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Chop tuna into 1/4‑inch pieces. Using rocking motion, continue to chop tuna until it is coarsely chopped into pieces roughly 1/8 inch each; transfer to bowl. Add minced pickled ginger and garlic and gently knead with hands until well combined. Using lightly moistened hands, divide tuna mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into 1‑inch-thick patty. Place patties on parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave burners on high.
- Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Season patties with salt and pepper.
- Using greased spatula, place patties on grill and cook until well browned on first side and patties easily release from grill, about 3 minutes. Gently flip patties and continue to cook until well browned on second side, centers are still reddish pink when checked with tip of paring knife, and burgers register 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stack lettuce leaves together to create 4 lettuce wraps. Serve burgers on lettuce wraps, topped with wasabi mayonnaise, radishes, scallions, and remaining 2 tablespoons pickled ginger.
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