A tuna tataki true to the Japanese spirit: a cool, raw center, a surface seared over high heat, cleanly cut into thick slices, then served with a lively ponzu sauce with ginger, garlic, and scallions.
Ingredients
- 500 g sashimi-grade bluefin or albacore tuna steak
- 60 ml Japanese ponzu sauce
- 1 tbsp light Japanese soy sauce
- 20 g fresh ginger
- 1 clove fresh garlic
- 3 sprigs fresh scallion
- 120 g daikon radish
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp neutral cooking oil
- to taste fine salt
Method
- Make sure the tuna is impeccably fresh, sold for raw consumption, free of any strong odor, and has clean flesh. Keep it very cold until cooking.
- Pat the tuna steak thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season all sides very lightly with salt to enhance the flavor without beginning a true cure.
- Prepare the garnishes before searing: finely grate the ginger, crush or grate the garlic, thinly slice the scallion, grate the daikon, then gently squeeze it to remove excess water.
- Mix the ponzu sauce with the light Japanese soy sauce. Keep this sauce cold, ready to spoon over or serve alongside.
- Heat a heavy skillet, griddle, or grill until very hot. Barely oil the surface: the tuna should sear, not fry.
- Sear the tuna on each side just long enough to color the outside. The center should remain raw, red, and fresh, with only a very thin cooked border.
- Immediately remove the tuna from the heat and place it on a clean cutting board. To keep the center completely raw, let it cool briefly before slicing, without cooking it through during a prolonged rest.
- Slice the tuna with a very sharp knife into thick, even pieces, using a clean stroke without sawing through the flesh.
- Arrange the slices slightly overlapping on a cold plate. Add the grated daikon, ginger, garlic, and scallions in small separate touches so everyone can adjust the amount.
- Lightly spoon over the ponzu-soy sauce or serve it on the side. Finish with the sesame seeds and serve at once, while the contrast between the seared surface and raw center remains distinct.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 407.6 kcal
- Protein
- 76.17 g
- Carbohydrate
- 5.62 g
- Fat
- 7.72 g
- Fibre
- 2.25 g
- Calcium
- 59.93 mg
- Iron
- 1.04 mg
- Magnesium
- 28.98 mg
