The Yard House (www.yardhouse.com) has to be one of our favorite small chain restaurants. We go to the one in Palm Beach Gardens at least once every 3 weeks or so. We took Blake last night and, boring as we are, we always order the same thing, the spicy tuna roll. Actually the tuna "roll" is really more like a layered salad but sporting a striking resemblance in taste to a sushi roll. Andy and I order other stuff too, but the spicy tuna roll is served as an appetizer and we always get it and always split it (we are a rather predictable couple---that's us with the famous tuna roll in the photo above). The kids menu isn’t all that great (mac and cheese, grilled cheese, blah, blah) and so Blake usually just gets the mac and cheese with an order of steamed broccoli on top (and no, it’s not whole wheat pasta, but I figure it could be worse….) Also, we found a new activity that occupies Blake in the restaurant, it's called "write your own book activity!" He titled his book THE BIG ADVENTURE (see photo above). So far the big adventure has 4 pages, but hey, it kept him calm, quiet and focused for more than an hour. it's a very good activity!
Ivy’s Yard House Style Volcano Ahi Tuna Rolls with Avocado, Edamame, Cucumber and Wasabi
Serves: 4
2 Haas avocados, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
Salt, to taste
1 ½ pounds sushi grade ahi tuna steaks, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil mayonnaise (such as Hellmann’s), divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon prepared wasabi paste, divided (you can get a small container of this from the sushi deli section in your local supermarket)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen edamame beans, thawed
Shredded carrots, for garnish
1. Place the chopped avocados in a small bowl and lightly mash with a fork. Season avocados with salt to taste. Set aside.
2. Working in small batches, place the tuna chunks in a food processor, and pulse a few times to break the pieces into a consistency that somewhat resembles ground beef (note: take care not to over-process the tuna.) Add the tuna to the mixing bowl and mix in the grated ginger, scallions, crushed red pepper, 1/4 cup of the canola oil mayonnaise, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste and salt to taste. Mix the ingredients with clean hands to thoroughly combine.
3. Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat; add the tuna and lightly stir fry for no more than one minute. Quickly remove the tuna from the heat. Use your hands to form the tuna into medium-sized round patties. Set tuna patties aside.
4. In a medium bowl, add the cucumber, edamame beans, remaining 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi paste. Gently toss ingredients together and season with salt to taste. Divide the cucumber-edamame mixture into four equal piles on four individual serving plates. Shape each pile with your hands into a round circular shape roughly the same size as the tuna patties.
5. Carefully pile one tuna patty on top of each of the four cucumber-edamame stacks. Lightly spread the chunky avocado spread on top of the tuna patties. Garnish with shredded carrots. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
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