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Tuna Tataki

30

Jan

2009

Florida Sport Fishing More and more today, I find that the popularity of sushi has led to the availability of fresh sushi-grade yellowfin tuna. As deep-red and meaty as a raw steak, fresh ‘Ahi’ is now available in quality food stores and fresh seafood markets everywhere – though no store-bought fish will ever beat freshly caught.

And yes, to prepare tuna tataki you really need your tuna to be first-rate sushi-grade. Here, I used a piece of fresh yellowfin recently caught in the Bahamas immediately blad and iced to create a Florida-Japanese fusion dish that you can enjoy anytime. It’s the perfect dish to introduce the pleasures of fresh tuna to people who swear they won’t eat raw fish. Why, because this is one of the best sushi-type appetizers, and also happens to be one of the easiest to prepare. I must warn you though: if you are fortunate enough to have easy access to fresh tuna, there is a danger of this dish becoming habit-forming.

Tuna

(serves four with one pound fresh tuna)

Yellowfin is best but fresh blackfin tuna will work.

  1. Shape tuna into two identical logs and roll in sesame seeds.
  2. Wrap logs in Nori (roasted seaweed), roll wrapped logs in flour, then in beaten eggs, and finally in Panko (Japanese bread crumbs).
  3. Quickly fry in 350-degree vegetable oil. This step is critical as it literally takes seconds to crisp bread crumbs. Do Not Overcook!
  4. Thinly slice logs and arrange an equal amount of pieces on each of four serving dishes.
  5. Sprinkle pieces of tuna with wasabi oil (optional).

Sesame Vinaigrette Dipping Sauce

  • 1/2 cup minced onion
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/8 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup grape seed oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Squeeze minced onions through cheese cloth. Discard juice and place fluffed onions in bowl. Add remaining ingredients (oils last) mix well and refrigerate until serving.

Side-Salad

  • 1 cup fresh carrots
  • 1 cup fresh beets
  • 1 cup fresh radish
  • 1 cup watercress (stems removed)

Julienne carrots, beets and radish, and mix with watercress. Place equal portion on each serving dish and sprinkle with sesame vinaigrette just prior to serving. Garnish serving dishes with lime and fresh ginger and enjoy!

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