Spicy Eggplant Tostadas with Seared Tuna and Sesame Kale

Mezze Flavors for Lunch Worth Fighting Over

This is the first Fresca recipe to cause a scuffle in my marriage.

I dreamed about it while feasting on mezze piled high with babaganoush, falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, etc. It was the creaminess of the smoky eggplant, the brightness of the lemon juice in the tabbouleh, and the nutty sesame.

My dream tostada to capture the meze essence has seared tuna with a golden crust to play up the eggplant’s charred flavor. The eggplant is charred under the broiler for weekday easiness, and the soft pulp goes into the food processor for a blitz with chipotles in adobo for a creamy, spicy, and smoky layer.

The kale is tossed with fresh lemon juice, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. The key is to thinly slice it by removing the ribs that run through the leaves for an all-around tender texture. Cutting the kale leaves while stacked and tightly rolled as if you were rolling a cigar like a G (ok or just a chiffonade) makes for a fluffy cloud texture.

It was all a dream of simple flavors that keep you going back for more and more tostadas. Until Javier ate all of it alleging “they looked like leftovers that were up-for-grabs.”

Before I had seconds.

Before I added the sesame seeds.

Before I shot the aforementioned tostadas during daylight (I take my job at Fresca very seriously).

Javier: “OMG the tostadas are INSANE.”

I mean I’m glad one of us got to enjoy the whole 1 ½ pounds of tuna in one sitting.

But he is right. It is an insanely quick and delicious lunch. If you’re into sashimi, you may skip step 5 of searing the tuna and instead slice sashimi-grade raw tuna straight onto the creamy eggplant spread.

Pure, raw, earthy, warm sounds on this week’s recipe playlist by my best girl, Kelly Mulroy. Kelly is my happy place and the friend every woman needs in their life. She is the brains, heart, and soul at 𝔱𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥 𝔣𝔯𝔲𝔦𝔱, an independent artist mgmt company. Kelly obviously curated the most beautiful sounds to share with Fresca because that’s just who she is. ILYSM, Kells.

Your subscription of $5/month covers my ridiculous grocery expenses, so many hours of recipe development, testing, and what turns into Javier’s endless lunches, plus all of the resources that go into creating Fresca for you. Thank you for your support!