Spicy Tuna Tartare Recipe - Viet World Kitchen (2024)

By Andrea Nguyen


Our neighbors invited us for dinner a little while back, and I
volunteered to bring appetizers. They included their adult kids, one of whom
was acutely allergic to wheat. It was hot and I didn’t want to cook. So I
reached for my playbook of easy-and-refreshing dishes and made this spicy raw
tuna tartare.

I’ve been making this Asian-fusion snack since the 1990s,
when my friend Maki revealed that the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills put the Rooster
brand of chile garlic sauce into its spicy tuna tartare. Maki was a chef at the
hotel and was tickled by the high-brow use of a low-brow, ethnic ingredient. I
was skeptical but when I tried it out, my tuna tartare went from good to great.
The little bit of fermented chile heat added zip.


I like to serve a communal bowl of the raw tuna tartare and
have guests scoop it up with Vietnamese toasted rice crackers (banh da nuong/banh
trang nuong). Good ones are tough to obtain outside of hard core Little Saigon communities,
so my default are small round rice crackers sold at mainstream markets (check
out these, which
I get at Whole Foods). We had a few of the Viet crackers in the pantry so we
used them to treat our neighbors extra well. If you’re bready, serve the spicy
tuna tartare on toasted baguette slices; brush a little olive oil on them
before toasting or baking until golden brown.


Our neighbors are avid gardeners so I harvested herbs from this summer’s garden to accent the tuna. I combined red perilla (tia to) and Vietnamese balm (kinh gioi), which go well with the fish. Resist using cilantro as the resulting flavor is off.

The neighbors were unfamiliar with tuna tartare so I explained
that is was like the stuff featured in spicy tuna sushi rolls but more textured
and better tasting. Just in case there was a vegetarian or vegan, I brought curry popcorntoo.

Recipe

Spicy Tuna Tartare

Serves: 8 as a
snack

Ingredients

  • 5-inch (12.5 cm) section of English or Japanese cucumber
  • 1 medium Hass avocado
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as
    shiso, red perilla (tia to), and Vietnamese balm (kinh gioi)
  • 1 pound (450 g) ahi tuna steak
  • Half a lime
  • Light (regular) soy sauce or wheat-free tamari
  • Kosher salt
  • About 1 teaspoon chile garlic sauce (tuong ot
    toi)
  • About 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • Rice crackers, Vietnamese rice crackers, or
    toasted baguette slices

Instructions

  1. Halve the cucumber lengthwise, then use a spoon
    to remove and discard the seeds. Dice the cucumber into the size of regular
    (not petite) frozen peas. Put into a bowl.
  2. Halve, seed, then peel the avocado. Dice the
    flesh to be slightly bigger than that of the cucumber. Add to the bowl, along
    with the fresh herbs.
  3. Dice the tuna to be slightly bigger than the cucumber and avocado. Discard any
    white gristly bits as you work. Add to the bowl.
  4. Squeeze on some of the lime juice (try 2 or 3
    squeezes), then drizzle in about 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, and 2 to 3 pinches of
    kosher salt. Add the chile garlic sauce, then use a spatula to combine. Taste
    and adjust the flavors to be a little stronger than you like. When satisfied,
    add enough mayonnaise to enrich and bind. Taste again and finalize the flavor. Transfer
    to a communal serving bowl and offer the crackers or bread on the side. Invite
    guests to scoop or plop a spoonful onto the cracker or bread.

Related post:

  • Check out theVietnamese Herb Primerif you need a primer or refresher.
  • Curry Popcorn Recipe

There are lots of ways to make tuna tartare. If you have a favorited approach, share it below. Don't keep it to yourself.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. David T

      I made Hawaiian poke with rooster sriracha and it was definitely the right thing to do! So good.

    2. Andrea Nguyen

      Sriracha would certainly perk up poke. That sounds like a jingle in the making. Mahalo!

    3. Tu Nguyen

      The tuna tartare is really great on homemade sweet waffle cut potato chips.

    4. Maggie

      A little bit of heat goes well with raw tuna. When we're lucky enough to have fresh tuna, we make sashimi seasoned with fresh ginger, Maldon sea salt flakes, chives, and piment d'Espelette.

    Spicy Tuna Tartare Recipe - Viet World Kitchen (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the history of tuna tartare? ›

    tuna tartare was created at Parisian restaurant Le Duc. in the 1970s, The Atlantic credits it to chefShigefumi. Tachibe in 1984 at Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hill...

    Is tuna tartare good? ›

    Tuna is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Tuna is also high in vitamin B12, high in protein, and relatively low in calories. Tuna tartare is also naturally low in carbohydrates, low in sugar, and is gluten-free.

    How do you eat tuna tartare? ›

    Tuna tartare is best served as an appetizer with freshly sliced avocado, over crackers, or as part of a charcuterie board. Keep the carbs down by scooping them up using keto crackers and keto chips. If you are craving sushi, replace the crab and shrimp in our Alaska rolls and dragon rolls with some of this tuna.

    What is tartare sauce made of? ›

    Wondering what's in tartar sauce? It's typically made with mayonnaise, chopped pickles or relish, lemon juice, and herbs (like tarragon and dill). There are also a handful of optional ingredients you can add that take the tartar sauce's flavor to the next level. For example, this recipe includes yellow mustard.

    Is tuna tartare completely raw? ›

    If you're seeking a delicious appetizer featuring the freshest seafood available, tuna tartare is a worthy selection. The foundation of the recipe is raw tuna, which is typically combined with avocado and lemon juice, as well as aromatic ingredients, such as scallions, ginger, or onions.

    Which country invented tuna tartare? ›

    Steak tartare can be traced back at least as far as the early twentieth century, but tuna tartare is very much a child of the eighties – allegedly the invention of Japanese-born, French-trained chef Shigefumi Tachibe, who rustled one up on the spot at his Beverly Hills brasserie when a table of six turned their noses ...

    What nationality is tuna tartare? ›

    Who invented tuna tartare? Shigefumi Tachibe, a French-trained chef who was born in Japan, invented the recipe for Tuna Tartare in 1984 at the Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills where he was the executive chef. He created the dish as an alternative to steak tartare for restaurant patrons who didn't want meat.

    Is tuna tartare high in mercury? ›

    Some varieties of raw tuna, especially bigeye and bluefin, may be very high in mercury. Consuming too much mercury can damage your brain and heart and lead to serious health issues.

    Can you use frozen tuna for tartare? ›

    So yes, you can absolutely use frozen tuna for tuna tartare — and certain recipes actually call for it to be par-frozen (meaning frozen part of the way) to instill a firmer texture.

    What's the difference between tuna tartare and carpaccio? ›

    Carpaccio vs.

    Tartare meat is chopped or diced, while carpaccio meat is thinly sliced. Tartare has much stronger seasonings than carpaccio, such as raw egg yolk and Worcestershire sauce. Other than olive oil, capers and onions, carpaccio doesn't dive deep into the seasonings department.

    Can you eat leftover tuna tartare? ›

    However, if you want your tuna tartare to last for an extended period of time, then your best bet is to freeze it. According to USDA, frozen fish will last indefinitely from a safety perspective but should be consumed within eight months from a quality perspective.

    Is tuna tartare like ceviche? ›

    Unlike ceviche, despite being dressed, tartare is still considered a raw preparation—although it is seasoned and dressed in sauce, it doesn't marinate long enough for the meat to cure or cook. Another way to define tartare is the way it is cut; it's generally minced or diced into small pieces.

    Should I rinse raw tuna? ›

    In fact, washing tuna steaks (or any animal protein, really) prior to cooking is a terrible idea that does nothing in terms of removing harmful bacteria from the meat's surface. What actually kills the bacteria that causes food poisoning is cooking the food to a safe internal temperature.

    What's the difference between tuna carpaccio and tuna tartare? ›

    Carpaccio vs.

    Tartare meat is chopped or diced, while carpaccio meat is thinly sliced. Tartare has much stronger seasonings than carpaccio, such as raw egg yolk and Worcestershire sauce. Other than olive oil, capers and onions, carpaccio doesn't dive deep into the seasonings department.

    How do you make tartare safe? ›

    Expert Tips
    1. Use the freshest beef possible, and ask your butcher for a cut specifically for consuming raw.
    2. Keep all ingredients, including your bowls and utensils, cold to ensure the dish remains fresh.
    3. If you're finding the steak hard to cut, place it in the freezer for 20 minutes, then try again!
    Nov 2, 2023

    What's the difference between tuna tartare and tuna ceviche? ›

    Unlike ceviche, despite being dressed, tartare is still considered a raw preparation—although it is seasoned and dressed in sauce, it doesn't marinate long enough for the meat to cure or cook. Another way to define tartare is the way it is cut; it's generally minced or diced into small pieces.

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