Tuna Tartare is a dish that most home cooks are reluctant to try since the fish is raw. If eating sashimi is not on your list of favorite foods, then clearly tartare is not for you. If however, a really fresh ahi tuna, also known as yellowtail, is a must have when ordering in a sushi restaurant, then tuna tartare is a great dish to serve to family and friends who enjoy raw fish.
The most important ingredient of course is the tuna. Ask your fishmonger if the tuna is sushi grade, meaning it is to the highest level of freshness and has come from a reputable source, which the fishmonger will know. I was in a high end store where I assumed the fish would be sushi grade and the fishmonger waved me off telling me the tuna was not suitable for making tartare, so always ask!
When you buy your tuna steak for making tartare, there will be a section of the tuna that has a white muscle tissue that will need to be removed. Ideally the tuna should be trimmed, which you can ask your fishmonger to do, so that the tuna has no white tissue and is basically the filet mignon cut of the tuna steak. Or if you are lucky to have a friend like my good friend Jim, who with his son Kevin hooked a 50 pound tuna you can be assured of the upmost freshness and get a prime cut from the tuna.
I have experimented with a variety of preparations for tuna tartare and have come up with a recipe that really is fabulous-just the right balance of flavors and texture. Below is my recipe that serves four appetizer portions or two entrée portions.
Ingredients
¾ to 1 lb. of Sushi Grade Tuna
2 tbsp. of minced chives (fresh only)
1 tbsp. Lemon infused olive oil*
1 egg yolk
½ tsp. sea salt
½ Haas Avocado
1 tsp. Black Truffle Oil plus more for crostini
Sriracha Aioli **
Directions
1. Trim tuna steak
2. Cut into a ¼ to ½ inch dice
3. Finely mince fresh chives
4. Cut ½ avocado into ¼- ½ inch dice
5. Place items 2-4 in large bowl
6. Add egg yolk
7. Add lemon olive oil*
8. Add salt
9. Add truffle oil
10. Toss ingredients gently till combined
11. Place in freezer for 5 minutes
Meanwhile cut a baguette on the bias for crostini. Cut 12 pieces about a 1/4 inch thick, place on backing sheet drizzle with black truffle oil and broil for 3 minutes, being sure not to burn the crostini. Salt the crostini with sea salt after removing from the oven.
To plate the tartare, place a 3 inch flan ring in the center of the plate and spoon in the tar tar to the top, and then gently pack the mixture down so it will hold together. Slide off the flan ring, add sriacha aioli to plate and three crostini and serve. For a bit more color on the plate, sprinkle the plate with some minced chives.
*lemon infused olive oil can be found at whole foods, but if you cannot find it you can just add juice from half a lemon with similar results
**See my Spice Crusted Lamb Burgers for the Sriracha Aioli recipe
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