Asian Tuna Tartare Recipe

Asian Tuna Tartare Recipe

  • 1 teaspoon peeled and finely diced fresh ginger
  • ¼ cup corn oil
  • 1 pound sushi-quality tuna
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh coriander
  • ½ teaspoon seeded and finely diced jalapeno
  • ¾ teaspoon wasabi powder
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon finely diced scallions (from white and light green parts only)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus ½ lemon
  • Fine sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
  • 1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch dice
  • 20 best quality potato chips
  • Round mold or open-ended cookie cutter, 2¼ inches in diameter and 1½ inches high
  1. Combine the ginger and com oil in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Strain.
  2. Trim any blood or pieces of nerve from the tuna. Cut into tiny dice (no bigger than 1/8 inch). Put the tuna in a mixing bowl. (The recipe can be made to this point up to 5 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate the tuna.)
  3. No more than 15 minutes before serving, add 1 tablespoon of coriander to the tuna, along with the jalapeño, wasabi, sesame seeds, scallion, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 4 teaspoons of the ginger oil. Mix gently. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Place the mold in the center of a salad plate. Fill the mold with the tuna mixture, pressing it gently so the tuna is even and compact. Lift off the mold. Repeat, making 3 more plates.
  5. Drizzle the remaining oil on the plates around the tartare. Sprinkle the tomato over the oil, then sprinkle the remaining coriander over the tomato. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the garnishes. Stand 5 potato chips up on their edges in each tartare, arranging them in a circle. Serve immediately.
  6. Drizzle the remaining oil on the plates around the tartare. Sprinkle the tomato over the oil, then sprinkle the remaining coriander over the tomato. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the garnishes. Stand 5 potato chips up on their edges in each tartare, arranging them in a circle. Serve immediately.