Caribbean Tuna Tartare
Cylinders of diced fresh ahi tuna are flavored with a mixture of tropical fruits and Mexican-style adobo paste. They are simply garnished with shaved celery root and a sauce made from a portion of the tuna seasonings.
Ingredients
- Dried Mango
- Ripe Mango - 1, peeled and pitted
- Corn oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Tartare
- Corn Oil - 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- Onion - 1/2 cup, chopped
- Adobo paste or powder* - 2 tablespoons
- Banana - 1/2 cup, diced
- Mango - 1/2 cup, diced
- Chicken Stock - 1/3 cup
- Egg yolk** - 1
- Ahi Tuna - 1 pound, sushi-quality, cut into small dice
- Salt
- Lime Juice - 1 lime
- Garnish
- Shaved celery root (celeriac) or fennel bulb
- Chicken stock
- Savory Wafers (optional) - 4
Instructions
To prepare the dried mango: Heat the oven to 200 F. Using a mandolin, cut thin (1/8-inch thick) lengthwise slices of peeled mango. Place a sheet of parchment paper in a jelly roll pan. Spread a thin film of oil over the parchment. Arrange the mango slices in one layer on the parchment. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until dry but not brown. Cool and cut any large slices in half lengthwise.
To prepare the tartare: In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the adobo paste or powder and cook 1 minute. add the banana and mango, and mix well. Add the chicken stock and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened. Cool. Puree in a blender or food processor. Chill the mixture until cold.
Reserve 1/4 cup of the chilled mixture for the sauce; transfer the remaining mixture to a food processor. Add the egg yolk. With the motor running, add the remaining 1/3 cup of oil in a stream through the feed tube. Process until the mixture is the consistency of mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt. Combine 3 tablespoons of this mixture with the tuna and mix well. Add just enough additional mixture to bind and season the tuna. Season to taste with salt and lime juice.
For each serving, arrange a 4x3-inch rectangle of dried mango slices over a banana leaf or piece of plastic wrap. Spoon one-fourth of the tuna mixture down one short side of the rectangle. Roll the mixture tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 cylinders; chill until cold.
To serve: unwrap the tuna cylinders and stand upright on four serving plates. Arrange shaved celery root around the tuna. Stir chicken stock into the 1/4 cup of reserved adobo mixture until the desired sauce consistency is obtained. Spoon the sauce over the celery root. Garnish each with wafer.
*If adobo paste or powder is not available, substitute 1 tablespoon of Mexican seasoning blend plus 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads, or paprika.
**The egg yolk in this recipe is not cooked. If you are concerned about possible salmonella contamination in the eggs you buy, 1 tablespoon of heavy cream may be substituted.
