It’s a rather fancy way to serve sashimi. The curious thing is that tuna tartare is not Japanese but Japanese-American having been invented by a Japanese chef in California in the 1980s. Since then, so many variations of the dish have come out, some more exciting than others.
You’ll need sushi-grade tuna for this recipe.
What is sushi-grade tuna?
There’s tuna and there’s sushi-grade tuna. The latter is more expensive because it is cut from a portion of the fish with the least ligaments. It also means it is fresh and, therefore, safe to eat raw.
So, when you buy your tuna for this dish, make sure it’s sushi-grade. This is a raw fish dish and you do not want to take the risk of food poisoning commonly associated with not-too-fresh seafood.
What’s the best way to cut the tuna?
Tip: It is easier to slice chilled (not frozen tuna) because it is firm and, hence, the less chances of the fish flesh falling apart.
What are tempura scraps?
When you cook tempura, bits of batter float in the oil. Those are tempura scraps. But you don’t need to cook tempura just for the scraps. They are available in Japanese groceries. They come packed in pouches and look like shorter rice crispies.
Spicy tuna tartare
Ingredients
- 200 grams sushi-grade tuna chilled
- ½ cup tempura scraps available in Japanese groceries
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
Spicy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce (Sriracha was used here)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
Instructions
- Pat the tuna dry with a kitchen towel.
- Cut the tuna into half-inch cubes.
- Toss the tuna cubes with the tempura scraps, sesame seeds and scallions.
- Stir together all the ingredients for the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the tuna mixture and toss lightly until evenly distributed.
- Serve your spicy tuna tartare at once.
