While I understand most grocers think of candy bars as a impulse buy, a cactus pear was my last impulse buy... I saw this prickly funny-looking thing on sale for 70 cents or so and wondered what it tasted like. So I found out.I also found out those babies HURT... even after a "special cleaning process" supposedly removes most of the pricklers, there are plenty of white-blond splinters waiting to infiltrate.
So I did a little research and found out:
1) cactus-pears are the fruit of cactus
2) you should wear gloves
3) they are healthy.... or something
I also found some amazing-looking recipes for using up this odd specimen.... so I adapted to use the sushi-grade tuna on sale this week!
TUNA MARINADE:
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C lemon juice
couple TB chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, sliced or chopped
some bits of chopped fresh ginger
1 tea cayenne pepper
1 tea cumin
1/2 tea salt
So add all of this together, plop in your tuna, cover, refrigerate for a hour or so.
Now for the Cactus-Pear Guacamole:
I ended up using a food processor, since my avocado was NOT ripe (boo-hoo!), to get a more creamy consistency, but you can hand chop as they do at the AndyBoy website.
1 cactus-pear, PEELED USING GLOVES
1 avocado (try to get a ripe one)
cilantro
garlic
ginger
onion
olive oil
lemon juice
I refrain from putting numbers on these things as it is really up to you what you like. So start with a little of each and then adjust after you taste-test. Now you have a slightly sweet guac to balance the spicy tuna!
Grill the Tuna:Pull out your tuna from the marinade, and place on hot grill (the indoor GeorgeForeman type things work great, just be quick on the timing). I used the latter and cooked a small steak in 3 minutes. But then of course I bought sushi-grade and enjoy it slightly raw in the middle!
Serve with rice and pretty garnishes like lime slices, chili peppers, cilantro....
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