Tuna Tartare with roasted chili oil and hot peppers

Posted on February 26, 2013 by huntingchef

I travel to the bay area of California a lot, and one of my favorite dishes that I look forward to is Michael Mina’s Tuna Tartare. It is amazing, so after having it for my 545th time last week, I watched them prepare it and asked a lot of questions. Then I did a little research and found it. It is not that hard to make and it is spot on. This is an excellent appetizer, and will put you in good graces with your wife….if you are leaving for Africa like I am in four days. It is not that hot either, it is a perfect blend of flavor.

8 oz. Sashimi grade Ahi, diced.
2 garlic, minced
1 green jalapeno diced
1 red jalapeno diced
2 tablespoons of pine nuts, toast them in a pan first.
2 tablespoons of diced asian pear (you can use a Bartlett as well).
4 quail eggs (you can buy them at the local sushi place, or use a farm egg).
2 tablespoon of mint, chiffonade
1 teaspoon of ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon of sea salt
3 tablespoon of roasted chili oil
1 teaspoon of white pepper
8 slices of white bread, toasted.

Freeze your tuna for about 10 minutes, then dice. Mix tuna with ancho powder, sea salt, white pepper and 2 tablespoons of roasted chili oil.

Cut your tuna in smaller portions than I did in this photo. Dice it.

Make sure you toast your pine nuts on medium heat in a pan with a few drops of olive oil. Toast for 3-4 minutes until they turn light brown. Dice both peppers and set aside. If you have a ring mold that works very well for presentation. You can also take a small bowl or a can, spray the inside with pam and pack the tuna mixture. Turn upside down on plate and it should give you a nice presentation. If you are using a farm egg you can have a larger portion, if you got the quail eggs you can do four smaller portions.

At this point it is always good to check and see what your sous chef is doing on the main course dish.

Mady's job is to put all the vegetables in the pot while eating and not getting her "Go Gurt" in the pot. — Mady’s job is to put all the vegetables in the pot while eating and not getting her “Go Gurt” in the pot.

Everything is prepped and ready for the plating.

I usually freeze the serving plate for 20 minutes before I plate the product. Once you plate the tuna, and put your egg on top of the tuna mixture, you are going to put all the ingredients around the plate. Put a little mint down first, sprinkle some sea salt and pepper around the dish, put the separate ingredients around the plate like this photo. Drizzle a little of the chili oil on the plate as well.

This is how yu are going to serve the dish. — This is how you are going to serve the dish.

Toast the sliced bread and cut the crust off. Cut the toast in half like in a triangle. When you are ready to serve the dish table side. Bring a fork and a spoon and mix all the ingredients on the plate together. It is all about the presentation. Mix well, as you tell the story about how you learned this from The Hunting Chef who stole it from Mina in San Francisco. Once it is mixed well, serve.

Look at the color, it bright and vibrant. The flavor follows suit.

I hope you enjoy this dish, we sure did. I made it twice in two days!

I am off to Africa for two weeks hunting the dangerous Cape Buffalo and will be off the grid for a while. See you guys on the flip side.

The Hunting Chef.

Category: Appetizer, Kitchen Cooking, Recipes, SeafoodTags: best recipe for tuna tartare, hunting chef appetizer, michael mina tuna tartare, tuna tartare recipe

3 Comments on “Tuna Tartare with roasted chili oil and hot peppers”

George Freese
February 26, 2013

I’m going to rob your house now the whole world knows your leaving! Can’t wait to hear your voice mail. Skifassi

Sent from my iPhone
huntingchef
February 26, 2013

Good luck getting by the security system and the 150 lb German Shepard.
griffinsgrub
March 22, 2013

Wow!! Looks amazing!