Bonito Tartare
Fresh-tasting bonito is mixed into a tartare with red onion, cilantro aioli, and the zing of ginger and cayenne. The molded tartares are garnished with fresh greens, yuca chips, and teriyaki glaze. T\Note that the egg yolk in this recipe is not cooked; if you do not have a reliable source of salmonella-free eggs, substitute heavy cream for the egg yolk to bind the mixture.
Ingredients
- Cilantro puree
- Cilantro Leaves - 1 cup, packed, without stems
- Vegetable Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Cilantro aioli
- Egg Yolk - 1 (alt. 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream)
- Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
- Dijon mustard - 1 teaspoon
- Garlic - 3 cloves, roasted, mashed or 1-1/2 teaspoons bottled minced roasted garlic
- Vegetable Oil - 1/2 cup
- Cilantro puree
- Salt, cayenne and freshly ground white pepper
- Tartare
- Sushi quality bonito - 1 pound (alt. ahi tuna)
- Bermuda (red) onion - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Ginger Root - 1/2 teaspoon, minced fresh,
- Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Lemoin or Lime Juice - 1 teaspoon
- Rice Wine Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Garnish
- Teriyaki glaze - (alt. thick sweet soy sauce)
- Yuca or Sweet potato chips - 12 long, deep-fried
- Mesclun - (alt. mixed baby salad greens)
- White wine vinaigrette
- Onion sprouts
Instructions
For the cilantro puree: Place cilantro in food processor or blender. Add oil; process to make a thick puree, scraping down sides of container once.
For the cilantro aioli: Place egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard and garlic in food processor or blender. With motor running, add oil in a stream; process until thick. (Alternately, mixture may be whisked by hand.) Add cilantro puree; process 10 seconds. Add salt, cayenne and white pepper to taste. Add additional lemon juice, if desired. Process 10 seconds.
For the tartare: Cut fish into 1/4-inch dice; place in a large bowl. Add onion, 3 tablespoons of the cilantro aioli, ginger, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and vinegar; mix gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pack mixture into four 3-inch high plastic molds about 2-inches in diameter (have plastic PVC pipes cut to order) or pack mixture into plastic wrap-lined small custard cups or ramekins. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours before serving.
To serve: Place remaining cilantro aioli in squeeze bottle. Squeeze sauce attractively over four serving plates. Place teriyaki glaze in a sqeeze bottle; squeeze over aioli in opposite direction. Unmold tartare in center of plates. Stand two yuca chips in the top of each tartare to garnish. Dress salad greens lightly with vinaigrette; place greens and onion sprouts over tartare.
