I've made these dishes successfully in appetizer portions before but L. requested them as a main course. I am not convinced that they worked as such (maybe the tataki) but am definitely keeping them on my roster of easy-yet-curiously-delicious seafood appetizers (though you do have to make them right before eating for best results). I have adjusted the recipe below to make for 4 appetizer portions.
It is imperative that you buy the very best quality, sashimi grade hamachi tuna that you can find for these recipes and be smarter than I was - have your fishmonger remove the skin for you.
Recipe - "Poke" Style Hamachi with Avocado
1/2 lb hamachi tuna, cubed
1 avocado
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
zest and juice from 1 lime
2 tsps orange juice
Espelette pepper flakes or hot sauce to taste
Salt to taste
Mix all of the ingredients except the tuna and the avocado together in a bowl.
Add the hamachi tuna and mix well so that the tuna cubes are well coated with the sauce. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes - or up to one hour - to chill before serving.
Right before serving, cube the avocado into pieces roughly the same size as the tuna and mix into the tuna. Serve immediately.
I usually add finely chopped cilantro and mint to this dish (about 1 tsp of each) but L. asked me not to and I complied since I was in good mommy mode rather than on my fierce chef setting. The recipe tastes good either way but I do feel that the herbed version has more pizzazz, both visually and in terms of flavor.
Recipe - Hamachi "Tataki" with Grated Daikon
1/2 lb piece hamachi tuna
1 Tbsp grated daikon radish
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsps ponzu sauce
Sea salt
Shichimi togarashi, Espelette pepper or red pepper flakes to sprinkle on top
Mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce and olive oil together in a dish large enough to hold the tuna. Add the tuna and roll several times so that it is covered in the marinade. Refrigerate and let absorb the marinade for about an hour, turning a couple of times so that each side gets a turn in the marinade.
Remove from the fridge and, using paper towels, wipe off as much of the marinade as you can. This is an important step because if you don't do this you will end up with an ungoldly, stuck mess in your pan.
Grate your daikon and mix it with the ponzu sauce. Set aside.
Heat a non-stick pan until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Sear your tuna for 30 seconds on each of the 4 long sides of the fish. You want the fish to be seared on the outside and raw on the inside.
Slice as thinly as you can and divide into 4 portions. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Serve topped with the grated daikon and sprinkled with shichimi togarashi or one of the other options from above.
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