Returning the favor (Hubby Guest Blog)

by Tokyo Terrace on September 16, 2009

Candlelight dinner

Watching Julie and Julia with Rachael this summer was a total revelation for me.  At several moments throughout the movie, I felt as though I was watching hidden camera footage from the last year or so of our life since Rachael starting blogging.  My incredible wife, whom you have all come to know and love as the brains and heart behind Tokyo Terrace, is constantly whipping up new recipes and ideas for this site. Seeing Julie and her hubby go through the joys and struggles of this food blog world was an interesting look in the mirror.

Nearly everyday, I get to come home to a meal for which I would gladly pay top dollar in a nice restaurant anywhere in the world.  The photos and recipes she posts just can’t do it all justice.  Rachael’s food is amazing and yes, I do realize how fortunate I am to be on the receiving end of her passion for cooking!

As of this week, it has been five years Rachael and I began dating (back in college when Rachael cooked for us using only a microwave).  Thinking about all this reminded me that Rachael deserves the same kind of treat that I get to enjoy so often.  Today, I tried, in my I-don’t-really-do-this-since-I’m-married-to-a-fantastic-cook kind of way, to return the favor.

After school finished and my second graders went home, I went to one of our favorite local indoor markets for some “inspiration,” as Rachael calls it. This is what I found.

Yummy tuna

Yummy tuna

Once I saw this beautiful piece of fresh tuna, I knew I had to buy it.  Congratulations, Brad.  You’ve got yourself a hunk o’ fish.  Now what?  After racking my brain and wandering aimlessly for a few minutes, I saw some avocados in another store and had an idea.  How about some sort of inside-out tuna roll…minus the rice?

Sadly for me, the avocados in this particular store weren’t ripe yet, and they weren’t in the next store either.  The third try was indeed the charm though, and I bought two gorgeous, slightly soft avocados.  Next was a little Boston Bib-type lettuce, some red cabbage, and a couple green onions for a little extra color, texture and flavor.

My idea was to have alternating layers of green and red and to my surprise, it worked!  The base of the salad was the green lettuce, topped with thinly sliced red cabbage.  Atop the lettuces laid the creamy avocado wedges and slices of fresh blue-fin tuna in a sort of pyramid of deliciousness.

Final Product!

Final Product!

I tried three different sauces, since I eat a lot of them but have no idea what actually goes into one.  In the first, I tried balsamic vinegar, but that just didn’t go with the tuna (maybe with a steak salad it might work…).  Then, I tried a mix of soy sauce and sesame oil.  Sounded promising, but the sesame overpowered the tuna.  Finally, I just whisked a little wasabi paste and soy sauce together and just knew that with some tiny little green onions, the simple combination would be the perfect dressing for this salad.

Dinner's Ready!So, here is my first and only Tokyo Terrace recipe.  Bradley-san’s inside-out tuna roll salad.  There’s no rice in this recipe, but I suppose that would also make a nice base or side dish next time around.

Cheers to Rachael for all the wonderful things she does here at Tokyo Terrace.  Happy anniversary hun- I hope you enjoyed your night off!

Bradley-san's Tuna Sashimi Salad

Bradley-san's Tuna Sashimi Salad

Bradley-san’s Tuna Sashimi Salad

Makes 4 main course servings or 4 first course

1 pound sashimi grade tuna (we used Chu-toro), sliced
1 head Boston Bibb lettuce
1 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 ripe avocados, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
cup light soy sauce
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
Step 1 In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and wasabi paste.
Step 2 Thinly slice the green onions.
Step 3 Save 2 tbsp of onions for garnish.
Step 4 Place onions into the sauce bowl.
Step 5 Set aside, allowing the wasabi and green onions to infuse the soy sauce as you prepare the rest of the salad.
Step 6 Rinse the lettuce and red cabbage.
Step 7 Roughly chop the lettuce.
Step 8 Finely shred the red cabbage.
Step 9 To arrange the salad, start by placing slices of bibb lettuce at the bottom. This is the foundation of the salad.
Step 10 Once there is a full layer of green lettuce, create a layer of the red cabbage on top of the bibb lettuce.
Step 11 As much as possible, begin to form a pyramid of lettuce by concentrating the slices in the middle of the bowl.
Step 12 Set bowls aside as you prepare the avocado and tuna.
Step 13 Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise.
Step 14 Remove the pit (One easy way to do this is to hold one half of the avocado in one hand and strike the pit with the sharp part of a chef’s knife. Twist slightly and the pit comes out smoothly and simply).
Step 15 Then, slice the avocado lengthwise, in quarter-inch-wide slices.
Step 16 Remove slices with a spoon, taking care to keep the long slices intact.
Step 17 Continue building your “pyramid” by overlapping the slices of avocado with one end of each slice always in the center of the bowl (like bicycle spokes from a center hub).
Step 18 Now, slice the tuna into half inch slices.
Step 19 Make an “X” by putting your (sharp) knife perpendicular to the natural lines of the tuna.
Step 20 Slice at about a 45 degree angle, pulling the knife towards you as you cut.
Step 21 Once the tuna is sliced, repeat the same procedure as with the avocado, creating an overlapping layer of tuna on top of the avocado slices.
Step 22 Drizzle the salad with the soy-wasabi dressing and sprinkle with the green onions.
Step 23 Now, enjoy this clean, flavorful, and eye-catching salad!
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  • http://thescootabaker.blogspot.com/ The Scootabaker

    How absolutely awesome you two are! I swear I’m gonna beg my man-child boyfriend to do a guest post. I think though for a baking blog, it would turn out to be insanely hilarious or down right sad. That man can barely stand to prepare anything beyond cutting cheese for his crackers. I’m so going to have him bake something and blog about it. You see, I once asked him what kind of brownies I should make, he replied with “Romaine Lettuce Brownies”. No clue at all.
    I can’t wait to propose the idea!

    You guys are cute!
    Congrats on the anniversary!

    luv,
    Heather

  • http://thescootabaker.blogspot.com The Scootabaker

    How absolutely awesome you two are! I swear I’m gonna beg my man-child boyfriend to do a guest post. I think though for a baking blog, it would turn out to be insanely hilarious or down right sad. That man can barely stand to prepare anything beyond cutting cheese for his crackers. I’m so going to have him bake something and blog about it. You see, I once asked him what kind of brownies I should make, he replied with “Romaine Lettuce Brownies”. No clue at all.
    I can’t wait to propose the idea!

    You guys are cute!
    Congrats on the anniversary!

    luv,
    Heather

  • threeaprons

    Well done, Brad. Sweet post.
    J

  • threeaprons

    Well done, Brad. Sweet post.
    J

  • http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/1417910-mediterranean-chicken pegasuslegend

    This is a very nice blog post thanks for sharing!

  • http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/1417910-mediterranean-chicken pegasuslegend

    This is a very nice blog post thanks for sharing!

  • http://www.sense-serendipity.blogspot.com/ Divina

    Happy Anniversary to you both. Oh, that salad is just gorgeous. Whenever there’s avocado, I would go for it. You really made it so simple it becomes so extraordinary to me. And as always lovely photos.

  • http://www.sense-serendipity.blogspot.com Divina

    Happy Anniversary to you both. Oh, that salad is just gorgeous. Whenever there’s avocado, I would go for it. You really made it so simple it becomes so extraordinary to me. And as always lovely photos.

  • http://onefoodguy.blogspot.com/ Scott

    Well done, Brad! You can cook for me anytime. Some fresh tuna, some avocado, a little wasabi and some soy sauce and I’m game. Seriously, well done!

  • http://onefoodguy.blogspot.com Scott

    Well done, Brad! You can cook for me anytime. Some fresh tuna, some avocado, a little wasabi and some soy sauce and I’m game. Seriously, well done!

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Go Man-child go! I really don’t know what I’m doing in the kitchen, so I just took some mental notes of what Rachael always does and went with something pretty simple.

    She did have me try and bake something last year- something from Giada I think. It was edible, but I can’t give it much more than that.

    Love your hilarious blogs and delicious-looking treats. Keep in touch!

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Go Man-child go! I really don’t know what I’m doing in the kitchen, so I just took some mental notes of what Rachael always does and went with something pretty simple.

    She did have me try and bake something last year- something from Giada I think. It was edible, but I can’t give it much more than that.

    Love your hilarious blogs and delicious-looking treats. Keep in touch!

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Hey thanks! I had fun making this AND making my mark on Tokyo Terrace.
    :)

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Hey thanks! I had fun making this AND making my mark on Tokyo Terrace.
    :)

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Gorgeous? I made something gorgeous!

    You made my day Ms. Divina. When you eat in Tokyo all the time, I think you get used to these artful presentations, and though I still couldn’t get it quite how I intended it, the salad turned out great.

    And yeah, having everything raw and natural made it a great dish (and ensured that I wouldn’t burn it all to a crisp had I tried actually cooking!).

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Gorgeous? I made something gorgeous!

    You made my day Ms. Divina. When you eat in Tokyo all the time, I think you get used to these artful presentations, and though I still couldn’t get it quite how I intended it, the salad turned out great.

    And yeah, having everything raw and natural made it a great dish (and ensured that I wouldn’t burn it all to a crisp had I tried actually cooking!).

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Alright, move over Rachael, I’m taking over.

    Thanks Scott. It’s been a while since I’ve had to actually try and create something for the dinner table, so I felt pretty rusty. But comments like yours are definitely helping my cooking-confidence come back. It was an awesome, simple dish. Thanks a lot.

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Alright, move over Rachael, I’m taking over.

    Thanks Scott. It’s been a while since I’ve had to actually try and create something for the dinner table, so I felt pretty rusty. But comments like yours are definitely helping my cooking-confidence come back. It was an awesome, simple dish. Thanks a lot.

    -Brad

  • http://thewhitesintokyo.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/my-foodie-blog-guest-blog-blog/ My Foodie Blog Guest blog…blog « The Whites in Tokyo

    [...] the LINK to her blog. Brad's Tuna Sashimi & Avocado [...]

  • http://onefoodguy.blogspot.com/ Scott

    Brad, the kicker will be if you snapped the great photos as well…did you?

  • http://onefoodguy.blogspot.com Scott

    Brad, the kicker will be if you snapped the great photos as well…did you?

  • http://simplylifeblog.blogspot.com/ Gina

    Oh that looks so good! YUM!

  • http://simplylifeblog.blogspot.com/ Gina

    Oh that looks so good! YUM!

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Welp, score one for me. I did take the photos too, but I didn’t take enough time with the light so they’re a little grainy this time around.

    I’m sure we’ll make this one again, so hopefully I can get a few that are even better.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Welp, score one for me. I did take the photos too, but I didn’t take enough time with the light so they’re a little grainy this time around.

    I’m sure we’ll make this one again, so hopefully I can get a few that are even better.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Well, that last french onion soup entry of yours looked pretty tasty too. You can bet we’ll be trying it as the weather cools down and we start making some hot soups again.

    Here’s a great french onion soup recipe we tried last St. Patty’s day: https://tokyoterrace.com/2009/03/17/the-luck-of-the-irish-2/

    Looks like you and your hubby have a similar arrangement to us with the cooking/cleaning (and occasionally letting us in on the cooking). Thanks for stopping by!

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Well, that last french onion soup entry of yours looked pretty tasty too. You can bet we’ll be trying it as the weather cools down and we start making some hot soups again.

    Here’s a great french onion soup recipe we tried last St. Patty’s day: https://tokyoterrace.com/2009/03/17/the-luck-of-the-irish-2/

    Looks like you and your hubby have a similar arrangement to us with the cooking/cleaning (and occasionally letting us in on the cooking). Thanks for stopping by!

    -Brad

  • http://jeroxie.com/addiction penny aka jeroxie

    how sweet! and the dish looks fantastic!

  • http://jeroxie.com/addiction penny aka jeroxie

    how sweet! and the dish looks fantastic!

  • http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com/ wasabi prime

    Aw, this is so sweet and thoughtful. I think Paul and Julia Child would noddingly approve. Congratulations on your anniversary and I look forward to more guest-posting! I need to get my significant other, Mr. Wasabi, on a guest post. I think after ten years he’d have at least something to write about!

  • http://wasabiprime.blogspot.com wasabi prime

    Aw, this is so sweet and thoughtful. I think Paul and Julia Child would noddingly approve. Congratulations on your anniversary and I look forward to more guest-posting! I need to get my significant other, Mr. Wasabi, on a guest post. I think after ten years he’d have at least something to write about!

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Thanks for reading!

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Thanks for reading!

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Thanks for the nice comment Ms. Wasabi.

    I have to admit I really didn’t know much about Paul and Julia Child before seeing the movie, but I fell in love with their story. Amazing.

    We’ll see if Rachael lets me try this guest-post thing out again. Thanks for egging her on! I’m starting to feel like I should be apologizing to all the lesser halves out there that are now being pushed to guest post as well…let us know how that one works out.

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Thanks for the nice comment Ms. Wasabi.

    I have to admit I really didn’t know much about Paul and Julia Child before seeing the movie, but I fell in love with their story. Amazing.

    We’ll see if Rachael lets me try this guest-post thing out again. Thanks for egging her on! I’m starting to feel like I should be apologizing to all the lesser halves out there that are now being pushed to guest post as well…let us know how that one works out.

    -Brad

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Thanks Penny. I do have to say that it turned out deliciously…AND the post made the foodbuzz Top 9! Guess I’ve learned a thing or two from Rachael and all of her food shenanigans.

  • thewhitesintokyo

    Thanks Penny. I do have to say that it turned out deliciously…AND the post made the foodbuzz Top 9! Guess I’ve learned a thing or two from Rachael and all of her food shenanigans.

  • https://tokyoterrace.com/2010/10/lamb-chop-with-classic-risotto-spinach/ Lamb Chop with Classic Risotto & Spinach — Tokyo Terrace :: An American Foodie in Tokyo

    [...] first time Brad tried creating his own recipe (which can be found, along with one of my Lotus Root Chips, in the soon-to-be-released Foodista [...]

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