Why can't copy cat recipes be as good as the original?

So I decided I wanted to try to make my favorite item on the OLD chili's menu.  Margarita Tuna.
Dale said I couldn't do it, the spice was too hard to get right.

I found a copy cat recipe from that guy that has that show on TV. I found it on another blog, they must have paid for the subscription, Thank YOU!

Back to the recipe...
I wanted to try it, it was my FAVORITE thing on the menu.  Dale liked it too So I thought I would give it a try.

Kim was here while I made it. She was impressed by it but it was NOT the same as Chili's recipe. The aioli was yummy, the sear spice was good but not the right flavor, the rice was pretty close but still not the same. I used pre-seasoned canned black beans.  Dale brought home Pico from work, why waste my time on that!
Now, the Chili's recipe did not have a Santa Fe dressing.  I have no idea where he got that from. Also, it was in no way Low-Fat the way Chili's served it.
As written the recipe is good. It is just not Chili's, IN ANY WAY!

The "sear spice" is spicy!  I left it off the tuna I made Ashlyn. I also did 2 pieces of chicken and left the "sear spice" off of one of them for Brian.
I was told that I could make it again but I am not sure if I will. It was good and not bad for you, but not what I was looking for in a tuna recipe.

Maybe I forgot what the original tasted like, maybe my tastes have changed. I am just not sure.

Chili’s Margarita Tuna

Ingredients:
Garlic Aioli
1 head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vinegar
dash salt
Fat-Free Santa Fe Dressing
1/3 cup fat-free Catalina dressing
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Pico De Gallo
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Spanish onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt
Margarita Marinade
1 cup sweet and sour mix
2 teaspoons tequila
1 teaspoon lime juice
Searing Spice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon Schilling poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Rice
2 1/3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup converted or long grain white rice (not instant rice)
1/4 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons diced carrots
2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons diced celery
1 tablespoon diced white onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
dash ground black pepper
Black Beans
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2 15-ounce cans black beans with liquid

4 4-ounce tuna fillets (2 8-ounce fillets cut through the center)

4 corn tostada shells

1 1/3 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Prepare the garlic aioli by roasting the garlic: Cut 1/2 inch off the toop of the papery skin from the garlic, but leave enough so that the coves stay together. Place the head of garlic in a small casserole dish or baking pan, drizzle the olive oil over it, and cover it with a lid or foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the garlic and let it cool until you can handle it.
3. Prepare the dressing, pico de gallo, and margarita marinade by combining the ingredients in small bowls. Cover and chill these mixtures until later.
4. Pour the searing spice ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until you have a smooth mixture with the consistency of pesto. Set this aside.
5. Prepare the rice by bringing chicken stock and butter to a boil over medium/high heat. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.
6. Prepare black beans by pouring a teaspoon of olive oil into a saucepan. Use a paper towel to wipe the oil around the pan and then set it over medium heat. Saute the diced onion and red bell pepper in the oil for a minute or two and then add the cans of black beans, along with the liquid, to the pan. Reduce heat to medium/low, and simmer until needed. Stir occasionally.
7. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
8. Place your tuna fillets into the margarita marinade. Marinate for only 15 minutes and then dry the tuna on paper towels. Be sure not to marinate the tuna for more than 15 minutes or the lime juice will begin to toughen the fish.
9. Place the four tostada shells into an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Turn off the heat after 5 minutes and let the shells sit in the oven until they are needed.
10. Brush the top of each of the fillets with the searing spice blend and turn them with the spice side down onto the hot skillet. Brush additional searing spice over the top of each fillet. Cook the fish for about 2 minutes per side or until the fish is browned on both sides and cooked through.
11. Build each dish by spooning about 3/4 cup of rice into the center of a dinner plate. Encircle the rice with a portion of the black beans. Spread a thin layer of garlic aioli onto a tostada shell and place it on the rice. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of lettuce onto the shell next. Place a tuna fillet on top of the lettuce. Drizzle the Santa Fe dressing over the entire dish with a sweeping motion. Finally, pile about 1/3 cup of the pico de gallo on top of the tuna. Repeat for the remaining plates and serve immediately.
Makes 4 Entree size servings.