So it’s officially set it. Chris and I are getting married! Like real life, married. Whew. SO exciting and what a whirlwind of a weekend (and week!).

This sandwich is what we made for our picnic on Saturday where he proposed. I will tell you though, I did not take more than two little bites of this that day.

My pure joy and the initial shock of it all really got in the way of my usually hearty appetite. Especially when it comes to a sandwich like this one.

I fully planned to take photos of this at the picnic, but needless to say things took an exciting turn for the best, and I was far too distracted to remember I was supposed to photograph our food.

I literally looked at Chris around 10 p.m. and said, “Oh no! I forgot to take pictures of the sandwiches!”

We did have some leftovers though, and I was able to recreate it for a photo op, just for you! Once my appetite returned, I decided this was one of the most flavorful seared ahi sandwiches ever and I had to share it with you.

The marinated carrots and crispy sesame crust on the ahi made the sandwich crazy good.

I also must say, I’ve never purchased ahi before. It’s a real (expensive) treat to be able to have something like this in one’s refrigerator.

A very nice friend of ours gave the ahi to us and I’m so glad she did. Little did she know it would have such a profound effect on our future!

This was by far our most gourmet picnic yet. We pulled everything out of our trusty $10 picnic backpack garage sale purchase and assembled the sandwich when we got there.

P.S. I don’t think you’ve had the pleasure of meeting our new picnic-pack…why yes, those are insulated wine coolers on the sides.

Seared Ahi Sandwich with Lemon Wasabi Aioli

Ingredients

2 6-ounce tuna steaks

1/3 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted

2 carrots, grated (about 2/3 cup)

1/2 cup alfalfa or radish sprouts

2 telera rolls, halved

Marinade (From Foodness Gracious)

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, grated

Lemon Wasabi Aioli

1/2 teaspoon wasabi

1/3 cup mayonaise or greek yogurt (or blend)

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

1/3 teaspoon ginger, grated or chopped

Directions

Use your immersion blender or whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar, and garlic in a large bowl. Pour half of marinade into a separate bowl. Add tuna steaks and let marinate for 40 minutes. Add grated carrots to the other half of the marinade. Cover and place both in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, combine wasabi, mayo/yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro, and ginger in a small bowl.

Heat canola oil in a medium cast iron skillet until it begins to smoke. Remove tuna from marinade and liberally coat tuna steaks in toasted sesame seeds on both sides. Place in pan and sear on each side for about 1 1/2 minutes for a rare steak.

Spread Lemon Wasabi Aioli onto each roll. Place carrots and alfalfa sprouts on the roll, then top with the tuna steak and second half of the roll.

From the Little Yellow Kitchen,

Lauren