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Many people think that it is really challenging to prepare tuna tartar at home and they prefer to leave it to the experts, calling it a “cheffy thing”. The truth is that it definitely isn’t as hard at it may seem, as long as you make sure that you have extra fresh quality ingredients at your disposal. It would be ideal to stay away from supermarkets, so go to a local fishmonger and ask for sushi or sashimi quality tuna – simply explain to them that you’re planning to make tartar and that you definitely need the best piece of fish your money can buy. Once you’ve got hold onto your precious hunk of tuna, you’ll need a couple of avocados, various delicious spices, soy sauce and good sesame oil as well for the base of one of the simplest and best tuna tartare recipes. Get ready – your very first personal tuna tartar is on its way!
How to Choose Your Fish for Tuna Tartar
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Let’s face the facts – you’ll be eating raw fish, so you definitely need to be certain that this fish meets the highest possible standards of quality and safety. Preferably you need to get what is usually referred to as sashimi-grade tuna, which means that the fish was purchased on the same day when it was intended to be consumed. A single day in your home fridge will make a tremendous difference – the quality of the food will still be considered premium, but the freshness won’t be at the desired level and you’ll need to cook or fry your fish instead of choosing to serve it raw. Take a good look at the food you’re buying – watch for signs of discoloration and make sure that the fish doesn’t look dull or smell bad. As for the parasites in the raw seafood, you should be safe – FDA requires that all fish if intended to be eaten raw must first be frozen which keeps parasites at bay, but you’ll still need to pay attention to bacteria. Tuna seems to be the exception to this food freezing rule, but more often than not it is frozen in order to be safely transported worldwide. Generally speaking, fish can be ready to be served raw in one day if kept at -31 degrees F for 15 hours.
Ingredients for the Best Tuna Tartar Recipe
The first and foremost ingredient is surely tuna – the tricky question is how much is enough for one tuna tartar serving. Restaurant portions usually seem delicate and relatively small, because it’s definitely not about overeating – this is a true treat and you’ll need to indulge in it very slowly to let all your senses enjoy the unique and refreshing taste of raw seafood. You can buy somewhere between 0.5 and 1 pound of fresh tuna for 4 servings, but if you’ve never prepared it or tasted it before, opt for smaller quantities at the beginning – a 4-inch wide hunk should do the trick. Other ingredients include 2 ripe avocados, lemon and / or lime juice, coriander, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, as well as some pepper, chilly or ginger and sesame seeds as possible additions.
How to Prepare Your Tuna Tartar
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Place your perfect piece of tuna on the chopping board and use a very sharp knife to cut away any possible parts that you don’t want in your tuna tartar, such as pieces of skin or sinew. You’ll need to cut the fish in cubes, so start with making thin slices, approximately 1/4 inches wide. Continue by cutting the slices into 1/4 inches wide stripes and in the end cut stripes again to form 1/4-inch tuna cubes. Take out a larger bowl and mix two tsp. of soy sauce with 2 tsp. of sesame oil in it. Add some finely minced chilly, pepper and 1/2 tsp. of peeled and minced fresh ginger to the mixture, add tuna cubes and toss it all together.
Add Avocado to Your Tuna Tartar Dish
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Cut your avocados lengthwise around the seed, open the halves and with the edge of a sharp knife twist the pit and remove it. Scoop the flesh of avocados out with a spoon or cut it in pieces to separate the flesh from the peel more easily. Puree your avocado flesh and mix it with 1-2 small cloves of crushed garlic, some salt, finely chopped coriander and juice of 1 small lemon and 1 small lime. Mix it all together and serve on a beautiful, long plate next to your delicious tuna tartar.
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Sesame Seeds to Bring Your Tuna Tartare Recipe to the Next Level
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You can sprinkle some sesame seeds on the top of both tuna tartar and avocado puree. They will have splendid taste if toasted – put some sesame seeds in a small pan over medium heat for 2-5 minutes until they turn slightly brown. Place them on a small plate to cool and pour them over your dish. You can garnish the avocado puree with some coriander leaves for the finishing touch.
Serve the dish with forks or propose to your guests to scoop it up with some tortilla chips – whatever you choose, we are sure that your guests will enjoy the meal and look forward to the next occasion to taste your extra special tuna tartar again!
Did you like this tuna tartar recipe and do you have a favorite way for making tuna tartar even more delicious? Share your experience with us!
