Chile Seared Ahi Tuna, Fried Plantain, Tortilla Salad

     Guacamole Recipe:  Mash some peeled seeded ripe avocado.  Add a small squeeze of lime juice, a chopped green onion, a little bit of chopped tomato, a pinch of chopped garlic, a little bit of chopped fresh cilantro, a little bit of chopped jalapeno, sea salt, black pepper.  Mix the ingredients together and chill.  (No sour cream is needed in this guacamole!  It tastes amazingly crisp and fresh without sour cream.)
     Tomato Salsa Recipe:  Mix a chopped tomato, a little bit of chopped onion, a chopped green onion, a little bit of chopped cilantro, a little bit of chopped jalapeno, sea salt, black pepper, a generous squeeze of lime juice and a splash of vinegar.  Chill before serving.
     Tortilla Strips Recipe:  Fry some sliced corn tortilla strips in 360 degree oil till they become crisp and then drain the excess grease off on a dry towel.
     Salad Recipe:  Peel a ripe plantain.  Cut in half.  Cut thin slices lengthwise.  Fry the long thin plantain slices till they become crisp in 360 degree oil.  Set them on a dry towel to drain off the excess grease.
     Chipotle Crema Recipe:  Mix pureed chipotle peppers en adobo and thin sour cream.  (You can find a thin sour cream that is pourable in Mexican markets or simply mix sour cream and cream together like a quick creme fraiche.)
     Assembly:  Arrange Romaine leaves and chopped romaine on a plate.
     Garnish the plate with lemon slices and fresh cilantro sprigs.
     Set the tortilla strips in front of the pile of chopped romaine.
     Spoon a little of the chipotle crema on the chopped romaine.
     Sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheddar on the salad greens.
     Place a dollop of guacamole and salsa on the romaine leaves.
     Place the crispy plantain slices on the chopped romaine.  (Give the plantain slice a starfish shape look when setting them on the salad.)  Have the salad platter completed before starting the to cook the tuna.  The tuna only takes a few minutes to cook.
     Chile Seared Ahi Tuna Recipe:  Mix a mild ground mild chili powder with cumin, coriander, sea salt and black pepper.  Dip the ahi tuna filet in the chili powder mix then pan sear the tuna with olive oil over medium  heat till it is cooked rare.
     Slice the tuna into thin strips and arrange the tuna strips on top of the chopped romaine and plantains.  Add a dollop of chipotle crema in the center of the tuna slices and garnish the chipotle crema with green onion strips.
     This is a great salad that pleases all the senses!  It sure beats one of those lousy franchise restaurant taco salads.  The rare ahi tuna is such a nice match for the flavors on this plate.  This is modern Mexican cuisine.  Many items on this plate, including the guacamole, date back to the fine foods that the Aztecs created.  Aztecs were truly a gourmet society!  The great flavor combinations of their cooking are unimaginable to most people.  Old fashioned guacamole has no sour cream in it.  I like this salad! ...  Shawna