Recipe of the Week – Tuna Tataki

Many people want simple recipes when cooking at home, but the more experimental home cook is looking for a bit of a challenge. This week, NUVO brings a recipe for tuna tataki from chef Josef Driemel of Dockside Restaurant on Vancouver’s Granville Island. Although there are a few steps to this one, the result is more than worth the effort.

Tuna Tataki Ingredients

For the soy truffle vinaigrette:

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup diced shallots

3 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup sugar

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup mirin

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tablespoon truffle paste

1 tablespoon truffle oil

For the gochujang jam:

1 large apple diced, excluding the core

1 small daikon (no more than 200 grams)

1/2 white onion

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons sesame oil

½ cup sugar

1 cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup fish sauce

¼ cup gochujang chili paste

For the pickles:

You can choose any vegetable or fruit you like. Dockside uses thinly sliced cucumber and shaved fennel.

2 cups rice wine vinegar

1 cup sugar

For the tuna:

Dockside uses albacore at the restaurant, but any sashimi-grade tuna will do. For the curing process, it is better to have a thicker piece of fish, or you risk overseasoning.

Sugar

Salt

Tuna Tataki Method

For the soy truffle vinaigrette:

Heat half of the olive oil slowly in a pan.

Add the shallots and garlic and slowly caramelize.

Once golden, add the sugar and cook down until the sugar takes on the same colour.

Deglaze with the soy sauce, vinegar, and mirin.

Cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the thyme.

Once cool, add the remaining ingredients.

For the best flavour, do this ahead of time and allow to marinate over night.

For the gochujang jam:

Sear the diced vegetables and apple on high heat with half of the sesame oil. You are looking to build some dark colour—not charred but a deep brown.

Cook until evenly colored and then add the sugar.

Caramelize the sugar until it’s a rich brown colour.

Deglaze with the vinegar and fish sauce.

Reduce the liquid by about half.

Remove from the heat and add it all to a blender.

At this point, add the chili paste and the remaining sesame oil.

Blend until smooth.

Cool and reserve until ready to serve.

For the pickles:

Heat the liquid until it comes to a simmer, then add the sugar.

Stir to ensure the sugar is dissolved.

While still hot, pour over your chosen vegetables or fruit.

Allow to cool and reserve in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

For the tuna:

Using a mixture of equal parts sugar and salt, coat the tuna evenly—whatever sticks to the outside.

Allow to cure for 25-30 minutes. This process will help firm the texture of the fish as well as draw out some of the impurities and help give the fish a cleaner taste.

After the allotted time, rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Reserve the fish until you are ready to serve.

To serve, using a kitchen torch, sear all sides of the tuna.

Slice into ¼-inch pieces and arrange on a plate.

Add the gochujang jam, as much or as little as you like.

Top with pickles.

Add little pools of the vinaigrette around the plate for dipping.

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