Roy's Signature Blackened Ahi with Soy-Mustard Sauce

I am so honored to feature this next Chef on RICH COOKS!. He is one of the men in this industry who truly inspired me, and taught me, when all I had was an inkling of an idea of what to do with ingredients, a kitchen, and some cookware. Roy Yamaguchi is an innovator and a legend in the pantheon of chefs. Up and comers and established celebrities alike credit him with blazing a path that didn't exist before he came along. Hell, before Roy became one of the most prolific restaurateurs of our generation, he all but created "fusion" as it relates to creative cookery.


So it with great pride and the utmost respect that I include this recipe from Roy. He is as fine a man as he is a chef...


About this dish, Roy says: "This is my Pacific Rim version (of Paul Prudhomme's blackened fish). It's been on the menu since I opened my first Roy's restuarant in Hawaii in 1988. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then I am most flattered by similar versions you'll find in many restuarants across the States..."


And I will add, these two sauces he uses for this signature dish are excellent go-to recipes in and of themselves. You make them once, and you'll want to incorporate them into all of your fish (and other protein) preparations...



Soy-Mustard Sauce
1/4c mustard powder
2 tbsp. hot water
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce


Mix mustard powder and hot water together to form a paste. Add vinegar and soy sauce, mix, and pass through a mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate an hour.



Beurre Blanc Sauce
1/4c dry white wine
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. fesh lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced shallot
2 tbsp. heavy cream
1 stick cold unsalted butter, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper


Combine wine, vinegar, lemon juice, and shallot in stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook to reduce liquid until it becomes syrupy. Add cream and reduce by half. Decrease heat to low and gradually add butter, stirring slowly. Season with salt and pepper and strain into a double boiler. Keep warm over barely simmering water.


Blackening Spice
1 1/2 tbsp. paprika
1/2 tbsp. cayenne
1/2 tbsp. chile powder
1/4 tbsp. white pepper

• Dredge 8 oz. Ahi Tuna fillet in Blackening Spice on all sides.
• Heat 2 tbsp. EVOO in a nonstick skillet over high heat.
• Sear fillets for 15-30 seconds (rare) to 1 minute (medium rare) per side.
• Remove ahi and cut into approx. 20 thin slices.
• Spoon the Soy-Mustard and Buerre Blanc sauces around the slices.
• Sprinkle with toasted black sesame seeds.

... Sounds like A LOT of work? Well, it is, especially compared to what I usually post on this site. But, coming from the man who basically invented this dish for U.S.-based eaters, it's worth it! You don't mess with the original... ALOHA & MAHALO