That’s a mouthful….and a delicious one! Bacon-wrapped tuna seasoned with a little cumin and lime meets a cool black eyed pea salad marinated in soy sauce and ginger. Serve with fresh greens and sliced avocado. A great summer supper!
Chill On The Chickpeas
Chickpeas get so much of the attention. It feels like they are everywhere. Bring a little variety to your bean life by using black eyed peas instead. The soy-ginger marinade softens the earthiness that some people dislike about black eyed peas.
When I moved to Louisiana, I learned that black eyed peas were something you only ate stewed down with cabbage on New Year’s Day. Supposedly they bring prosperity. The stewed-down version is a hearty winter meal but I much prefer my black eyed peas in a cold salad.
If you just can’t stand them, go ahead and sub chickpeas or white beans here.
Bring The Heat
I like a little cayenne pepper in this dish. Chili pepper is good but don’t overdo it. You can substitute a seeded jalapeno (I’d only use 1/4 of a pepper) or a Fresno chili (1/2). A pinch of red pepper flakes would also suffice if you are afraid of chili peppers.
Fresh Greens
I adore arugula so I use it 9 times out of 10 in any dish. The peppery flavor adds another dimension here. Fresh green leaf lettuce or other mixed greens will do just fine if you don’t like arugula but I definitely recommend using some greens. They balance the earthiness of the black eyed peas.
Chickpea Fix
After you take a little break from your beloved chickpeas with this summer salad, get your chickpea fix back on with my Seared Halloumi Salad with Cumin-Lime Chickpeas, Mint and Pistachios.
Or, try this fancy marinated eggplant sandwich with chickpea puree from Tom Collichio’s ‘Wichcraft cookbook. You may have to buy the cookbook to get the exact recipe, but you can get a good idea from this picture.
Soy You’ll Give It A Try?
Never even tried black eyed peas? This recipe is a great introduction. I love the soy-ginger marinade on them but I also make a cool salad with essentially the same ingredients using a red wine vinegar/olive oil/cumin mixture instead.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cayenne pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
- salt and pepper
- 1 can black eyed peas, rinsed
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1/2 red or green bell pepper, diced
- 8 oz fresh sashimi grade tuna
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 lime
- 6 slices bacon
- handful arugula or other greens
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Make the Soy Ginger Black Eyed Peas
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar and oil. Add ginger and season with salt and pepper. Add rinsed black eyed peas, celery, green onion, bell pepper and cayenne pepper if using. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Sear the Tuna
- Season the tuna with cumin, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime juice. Cut the tuna into 6 equal sized pieces. Wrap each piece in a slice of bacon. If your bacon is wimpy, you may want to overlap two slices before wrapping. Heat a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Sear the tuna, bacon side down, for about 1 minutes to crisp one side then roll to cooked the bacon for 30 seconds at a time each until crisp all the way around. Don't overcook the tuna. Remove from heat.
- Plate the dish with a handful of greens topped with 2 large spoonfulls of the black eye pea salad. Lay 3 bacon-wrapped tuna pieces on the peas, 1/2 of a sliced avocado on the side. Top with a handful of chopped cilantro and finish with a squeeze of lime juice.
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