Tuna Tartare

About this dish

This is tartare filtered through the flavours of Japanese sashimi rather than French bistro seasoning — soy sauce and sesame oil doing the job capers and mustard do in the original, because tuna's clean, almost meaty flavour takes to those notes at least as naturally as beef does to Dijon. It's a genuinely recent dish, built in the last few decades as raw-fish cuisines outside Japan started borrowing techniques rather than staying siloed, but it's built on the same old logic: dress raw protein with enough acid and salt that it doesn't need heat to taste finished.

• Gluten-free
• Lactose-free
• Not vegetarian because of Sashimi-grade tuna steak

• 400gSashimi-grade tuna steak
• 20mlTamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
• 10mlToasted sesame oil
• 20mlLime juice
• 20gSpring onions
• 2gFine sea salt
• 150gAvocado
• 6gSesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Dice the tuna into small, even cubes.

   10 min

   Tip: Buy tuna specifically sold as sashimi- or sushi-grade — this dish has no cooking step to make an ordinary cut safe, so the fish itself has to already be handled to that standard.

2. 2

   Whisk together the tamari, sesame oil and lime juice.

   3 min

   Tip: Sesame oil is powerful — measure it rather than eyeballing it, since a heavy hand turns the dressing bitter and buries the tuna instead of seasoning it.

3. 3

   Toss the tuna with the dressing, the sliced green onion and a pinch of salt.

   5 min

   Tip: Toss gently and just before serving — the acid in the lime juice starts to lightly cure the tuna's surface the longer it sits, and this dish is meant to taste raw, not pickled.

4. 4

   Dice the avocado, serve the tartare over or beside it, and scatter with sesame seeds.

   5 min

   Tip: Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for a minute first if you have the time — raw sesame seeds taste flat next to toasted sesame oil, and the dish is built entirely around that toasted note.