Tuna Tartare

I am continuing to explore possibilities for our holiday party and I am thinking there will be four appetizers.  Tuna tartare could very well be one of them. As a sushi lover, taking tuna and jazzing it up with lime juice, wasabi, soy sauce, and a variety of other ingredients is a true delicacy.

One of my favorite neighborhood places to dine on tuna tartare is this casual seafood restaurant, smack dab on the sand with stunning views and housed in one of the most quaint seaside hotels, Shutters.

Atmosphere aside, the tartare is very good.  I am accustomed to eating tartare with crackers, wonton chips or tortilla chips, but this place serves fresh potato chips on the side (!). I don't have their recipe but I have two others I have just tried with the hopes that my husband and I could select one as "the best".

{A note on ingredients, sashimi grade tuna is a must.  This and a few other ingredients in these recipes are found in Japanese markets.  I hope you have one near you.  In Los Angeles, the small Mitsuwa market chain is a fantastic resource}.

Tuna Tartare, Barefoot Contessa

{above photo, right}

6 oz. sashimi grade sushi, diced small

2 T olive oil

grated zest of 1/2 lime

1 + 1/2 T fresh squeezed lime juice

1/4 t wasabi powder

3/4 t soy sauce

3 dashes of Tabasco

3/4 t kosher salt

1/2 t fresh ground pepper

1/8 c minced scallions (white and green parts)

1 t seeded, minced jalapeno

1/2 ripe Haas avocado, diced

1 t toasted sesame seeds

crackers, potato chips or tortilla chips

Place the tuna in a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl, combine next 8 ingredients. Pour over the tuna and fold in the scallions and jalapeno. Carefully mix in the avocado and sesame seeds.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors combine.

Tuna Tartare, Adapted from Crowne Plaza, DC by the LA Times

{above photo, left}

6 oz sashimi grade tuna, diced small

2 t sesame oil

2 t soy sauce

2 t olive oil

2 t minced shallot

2 t minced chives

2 t Dijon

juice from one lime

2 t chili oil

2 t wasabi tobiko (flying fish roe)

sesame seeds

crackers, potato chips or tortilla chips

In a serving small bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients. Garnish with wasabi tobiko and then top with sesame seeds. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

And the winner is! {it's a draw}. Ina's recipe is delicious and what I am accustomed to: a citrus, avocado, and a slightly spicy kick.  Crowne Plaza's version is just as delicious, but earthier, I believe, because of the abundance of soy sauce and sesame oil and the addition of fish roe.

Since both recipes are equally good and quite different from one another, I think I will prepare both!