Easy Homemade Tuna Tartare

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What an amazing ingredient Ahi Tuna is. So beautiful and delicate, yet packed full of unbelievable flavor. It is no wonder that this ingredient is consumed by the tons every year and fetches top dollar at the fish markets for those willing to get there at 4am for the prized catch! We here at Dinnertime Somewhere love Tuna, so this is our Easy Homemade Tuna Tartare Recipe that we know you’re just going to love!

Getting the best quality Tuna is the secret to a great Tuna Tartare

So, there are a couple of tricks we’ve found to get the best piece of Tuna. The first is to head down to your local fish markets at 4am and pick out the best piece you can find. Ok, that’s kind of a joke – but hey, if you’re keen then absolutely go for it!

For those of us who respect that the day starts when the sun comes up, you can find some great cuts of good quality Sashimi grade Tuna at your local Fish Monger. Even some good supermarkets do stock the good stuff. You just need to shop around and, as always, it never hurts to ask the staff working there what they recommend

Personally, we find the darker colored Tuna generally is of better quality. It also almost always has more flavor than the lighter colored pieces. So, try to pick out those lovely, burgundy-colored filets of fresh Tuna and you’ll be ready to go!

The classic Japanese flavors of a Tuna Tartare make this dish special

Tuna Tartare is a dish that originated in Japan, so naturally the best ingredients in this dish are some wonderful Japanese ones. Soy Sauce and Ponzu make up the bulk of the flavor profile of the sauce, and they taste delicious. Both sauces have quite bold flavors, Soy bringing the Saltiness and Ponzu bringing the sweetness. You don’t need a whole lot to make your Homemade Tuna Tartare taste amazing

For our recipe we’ve added an optional element of Chili Crisps to the dish. For those who love spice we find this adds a brilliant dimension to the dish. If you aren’t big on the spice – that’s ok! Just simply don’t use the Chili, the dish will turn out great either way

What is the difference between a Tartare and a Ceviche?

Both dishes are prepared using good quality, raw seafood. The main difference between the two is that in a Ceviche, acid is added to ‘cook’ the seafood, whereas Seafood is served completely raw in a Tartare. There is no acid added to a Tartare, so you are enjoying the pure expression of raw seafood in the dish

Both Ceviche’s and Tartare’s are wonderful dishes and produce big flavors. They celebrate the natural flavors of their ingredients. The Sauces are added to the dish to complement those flavors, without overpowering them. You’ll taste a wonderful Salty / Sweet flavor in our Easy Homemade Tuna Tartare recipe from the Soy Sauce and Ponzu, however Tuna is still the star of the dish. Rightly so!

Our Homemade Tuna Tartare Recipe is a fun dish to try and replicate the Japanese precision

Making Japanese food that makes you want to become super fancy with your plating. There is something special in the way the Japanese prepare and plate their dishes isn’t there? Such precise knife work, and such clean plating. Minimalistic is the way to go, where everything is there for a reason, and everything has purpose

For the Homemade Tuna Tartare Recipe, everything indeed has its place and purpose. With such few ingredients the minimalistic approach to the recipe lets the hero of the dish: the Tuna, shine. Take your time when preparing the Tuna. Try to cut each piece as evenly as possible. It will look better on the plate, and each bite will have a similar flavor. If you cut it to different sizes you may get some bites that are overpowered with the sauce, which we don’t want!

Easy Homemade Tuna Tartare Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Sashimi Grade Tuna / Ahi Tuna
• 1 tbsp. Ponzu Sauce
• 1 tsp. Soy Sauce
• ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
• ¼ tsp. Chili Crisp
• 2 tbsp. Scallions, chopped
  
  

Instructions

1. Begin by preparing the Tuna by slicing it into even cubes about ½ inch thick. Try to get the cubes as even as possible. It is also best if you prepare the Tuna immediately out of the refrigerator, when it is nice and cold
2. To make the Sauce, combine the Ponzu, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, and Chili Crisps into a small bowl. Mix well to combine
3. Pour the Sauce over the Tuna and mix well to incorporate all the sauce. Place the Tuna into a serving bowl and finish by sprinkling over the chopped Scallions. You can serve the dish immediately as, unlike Ceviche the Tuna doesn’t ‘cook’ in the sauce
   
   

This is such a fun appetizer to enjoy at the start of the meal, or for a light lunch to fuel you for the rest of the day. It goes so well with other seafood dishes too, so why not check out our Seafood Appetizers and Seafood Dinner recipes to see what fun dishes you can pair it with

Happy Cooking!