For this recipe you will need to find a Japanese market or a good fish market. In the Santa Cruz/Watsonville area you can find what you need at Yamashita Market in Watsonville. As the tuna is served raw, be careful in your selection. This recipe is a contrast of crunches and a synthesis of flavors. The tobiko pop, the cucumber crunches, and the tuna sort of melts and has a little chew to it at the same time. The clean wet taste of cucumber harmonizes with the briny roe while acting as a foil to the saltiness. The sweet, slightly oily, and umami flavors of the tuna are set off by the other elements. The dressing is used sparingly, as a surprise accent that pops up as a little jolt of bass-line to the rest of the salads higher notes of flavor. This is an appetizer, or part of a string of dishes. The recipe is written as a small appetizer-just a few bites, as in 3-4. If you wish a bit more, double the volume.
INGREDIENTS:
5 ounces pound sashimi grade maguro (a.k.a. ahi or blue or yellow fin tuna), cut into 3/8ths inch dice with a thin bladed razor sharp knife*
1 small package (3-4 ounces) tobiko, fresh or frozen**
½ cup (or volume equal to the tuna or a little less) of seeded cucumber, cut into dice the same size as the tuna + 2 cups of finely cut threads of cucumber including skin, done with the fine comb of a mandolin (if you do not have a mandolin or are just not up to it with a knife, skip it and see option in recipe.)
4 nicely shaped Little Gem lettuce leaves that form a nice cup + several extra leaves cut into fine threads
1-2 ounces Japanese Style Shoyu Orange Dip or Shoyu Orange Sesame Dip (See recipe)
–Optional- 1 sheet crisp nori, (or 2-3 of the little ones people get for lunch boxes as long as it isn’t flavored) cut into 1-inch wide strips and then cut cross-wise into narrow threads
METHOD:
In a small non-reactive bowl, mix the cucumber and tuna and very gently combine. Put 2/3rds of the tobiko in and very gently mix into the tuna and cucumber. Taste for contrast. If needed, add more tobiko and mix in.
Sprinkle a few drops of the dressing over the mélange. If using the cucumber threads, place a little pile of lettuce shreds to hold the leaf cup, then form a nest in the center of the leaf with the cucumber threads, and spoon in the tuna, tobiko, and cucumber salad. If not using the cucumber, use some lettuce threads to brace the lettuce cups, and some to form a nest in the lettuce leaves.
Put a few drops of dressing here and there. If you wish to use the seaweed threads, place a small tangle of them on the salad, and serve right away or the seaweed gets limp and sticks to the roof of the mouth, and is nothing but unpleasant. If you don’t use the seaweed, serve really soon or keep in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
Chef’s Notes: *You must use a sharp knife to keep from turning the tuna into a bunch of smashed mush. You want clean defined cuts so the flavors stay clean and clear. Also, keep in mind this is raw seafood, and if you are imunno-compromised, pregnant, etc. you should be careful, consult a doctor, etc. **Tobiko can be found in these small containers on up to 5 pound boxes. It comes in several shades. Traditionally, dark orange is rinsed and cured in soy sauce. Light red or orange is cured using sake. This is my favorite. There is also green (wasabi), a dark red one, and black. You want either of the first two. It is almost always frozen, whether it is or not when you buy it. It is fine if it is frozen. Do NOT attempt to substitute masago (capelin roe) for tobiko. It will be an awful experience. Masago does not have the wonderful texture nor is the flavor the same. Masago has a much saltier flavor (if you can call it that) that is reminiscent of a salt lick or industrial salt. Salmon roe will not work, although super fresh and very small trout roe might. Some places sell a “vegetarian” caviar made of seaweed that would actually work in lieu of tobiko. I found mine at Ikea or all places.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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