Salmon Tartare
Raw salmon diced small and dressed with lemon, olive oil, capers and dill, served cool over avocado — nothing here is cooked, so every ingredient has to earn its place on its own.
About this dish
Tartare started as a way of eating meat raw and seasoned rather than cooked, and fish versions followed once refrigeration made raw fish safe to serve outside a harbour town. Salmon took to the format especially well because its fat carries seasoning the way a lean white fish can't — a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of capers taste like considerably more against salmon's richness than they would against something drier.
- Gluten-free
- Lactose-free
- Not vegetarian because of Salmon fillet, skinned
Ingredients
- 400gSalmon fillet, skinned
- 40gRed onion
- 20gCapers
- 20mlLemon juice
- 30mlExtra-virgin olive oil
- 4gFine sea salt
- 2gGround black pepper
- 10gFresh dill
- 150gAvocado
Instructions
Dice the salmon into small, even cubes, and finely dice the red onion and capers.
10 minTip: Use the sharpest knife you own and keep the salmon well chilled while you work — a dull knife or warm fish smears instead of cutting cleanly, and tartare lives or dies on a clean dice.
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
3 minTip: Taste the dressing on its own before it meets the salmon — it should taste slightly too sharp by itself, since the fish will mellow it once mixed.
Combine the salmon with the dressing and the chopped dill, and chill for 15 minutes before serving.
15 minTip: Don't dress the salmon far ahead of time — the acid in the lemon juice starts to firm up the fish's texture the same way it would in a ceviche, and tartare is meant to stay tender, not cured.
Dice the avocado and serve the tartare over or alongside it.
5 minTip: Dice the avocado just before plating — it browns quickly once cut, and a tartare this fresh-looking deserves a garnish that matches.