sashimi saturday folks...

welcome to sashimi saturday...yes raw fish but before you recoil in horror at the thought of ingesting raw fish just hear me out. mm...sashimi tuna, apart from being barbequed with garlic, olive oil, lemon and parsley i would say eating tuna raw is a favourite when it comes to this particular fish of the sea. yes i do eat it out of a can...did you hear that food police? the food choice of dieters it seems but no diets here viewers, not after all that chocolate today,thankyou jesus, hee,hee.

     i have to confess i am rather new at the whole sashimi thing. once upon a time if someone had mentioned eating raw fish or had offered it to me i would have thought i don't think so. but when you have eaten quality tuna make that bluefin and have sampled it in its natural state really i gotta admit it is the best way of eating it. sashimi? tartare? are they the same thing? i think so but correct me if i am wrong tuna patrol. sliced finely it can be eaten with a splash of soy and wasabi. i have had friends coat it in sesame seeds before sealing the outside and then slicing it finely for consumption. ( thankyou buddies in port lincoln) and yes that was yum. i have even been aboard a real tuna fishing boat ( thanks tuna man) and have witnessed the tuna harvest myself but surprisingly no tuna was on offer there. interesting experience to see what is actually involved. i did write about that some time ago and will search my archives for those who might like a closer insight into the manly business of fishing.

     so today for those of you who are keen to try some tuna in the raw, i have the perfect recipe that first came to my attention when dining at cumulus in melbourne. it can be found in their signature recipe book or if you google tuna tartare or right here in this blog. i have made this countless times now. i must admit whern i first perused the ingredient list i was curious to see how the flavour combination would pan out. when one thinks of tuna one wouldn't normally associate it with goats curd or minted smashed peas but it works. it really works and if you would like something that is still relatively light, flavoursome and still showcases the quality of fresh tuna then this is a recipe for you to try. it is also rather simple and can be made relatively quickly. it is best prepared just before serving time. we had this today for sashimi/seafood saturday.not a scrape of it was left.

tuna tartare with minted peas and goats curd... from the cumulus cookbook

250gms sashimi grade tuna

2tbspns olive oil

1 ortiz anchovy fillet ( you can substitute with another brand)

1/2 clove of garlic finely crushed

1 tspn balsamic vinegar

1 tbspn light soy sauce ( use tamari if you are allergic to wheat)

1/4 lemon zested finely

1/2 tspn of castor sugar

crush garlic and anchovy fillet, add soy, vinegar, lemon zest and sugar, mix and set aside...

slice tuna and cube into 1 cm squares, add marinade, mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 15 mins

minted pea salad

1 cup of blanched baby peas

20 mint leaves chopped very finely

3 tbspns of extra virgin olive oil

2 spring onions ( white part) sliced very finely

crush peas, add mint, oil, spring onions and mix through, season with sea salt

spread a couple of tablespoons ( i did use more) of goats curd on a medium sized platter, add pea salad on top and then the tuna tartare on top of the peas

serve with thin watercrackers ( i use the rice thins, delicate and do not compete with the flavours)

and there you have it folks, not word by worrd but a pretty good account of the recipe and as you can see below that is what you will finish up with. so for you raw tuna enthusiasts go ahead and enjoy yourselves with this one. you will be sure to impress.