It’s 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.
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. Get the freshest and best quality tuna. 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.
Spicy Tuna Tartare
In our spicy tuna tartare recipe, tempura scraps were tossed in for textural contrast. After all, a light crunch is highly irresistible.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.
Ingredients
- 200 grams sushi-grade tuna chilled (see notes after the recipe)
- 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.
