Tuna Nachos with Mango Salsa

My friend, Chef Kevin Sullivan, and I were developing a menu together once. The concept was a Pan-Asian style sushi bar, restaurant and bakery. When sushi nachos came up, Kevin made an interesting point.

“I like tuna nachos ok, but I never feel like it’s really nachos without cheese. We have to incorporate some cheese.”

That sounded reasonable. After all, I’m particularly fond of fish and cheese together. And when you count the idea of how some sushi bars smother rolls or just mounds stuff with “the infamous red mayo stuff” (which I am NOT fond of by the way) , I saw no reason why we couldn’t create a delightful fish and cheese nacho.

Here is a variation of what we created:

Tuna Nachos with Mango Salsa

6 oz sustainably sourced yellowfin tuna or tombo (Hawaiian white tuna), roughly chopped

3 tablespoons ponzu

1 green onion, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped mango

1/8 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon minced jalapeno, or more to taste

2-3 sprigs cilantro, chopped plus more for garnish

10-12  fried wontons, or more as desired (See below for instructions)

jalapeno slices, for garnish if desired

shredded Queso Chihuahua or mild white cheddar, to taste

1. In a small bowl, toss together the chopped tuna, 2 Tablespoons of the ponzu, and about 1/3 of the minced green onion. Set aside.

2. Prepare the salsa by stirring together the remaining ponzu, remaining green onion, mango, garlic, jalapeno, and chopped cilantro. Toss well.

3. Assemble the nachos. Arrange the fried wonton chips in the center of a serving dish. Spread tuna over the chips, starting from the center allowing a smidgen of room near the chip edges for easy pick-up. Distribute salsa over the top. Add jalapeno slices, if using. Sprinkle cheese, as desired over the top and garnish with a sprig or two of cilantro. Serve immediately.

Alternately, you may carefully dress each chip.

For the wonton chips: Cut round wonton or gyoza wrapper into fourths. Heat about 1/2 inch oil in a skillet to 350 degrees F. Using tongs, place wontons into hot oil. Allow each piece to fry for about 10 seconds before flipping over. Fry the other side. Remove wontons from the oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Allow the fried wontons to cool completely before using.