Raw tuna, blackberries, curry leaves
A raw tuna dish is so chic in my opinion. Dress it up with herbs, a high quality lemon extra virgin olive oil, salt and some crackers on the side and it’s a perfect dish.
This dish has crispy fried curry leaves which add a really nice warm depth to the overall bright dish. There’s green chilli, lime zest, shallots and blackberries to add zest and color (we eat with our eyes after all)!
Finish with a pinch of salt right before serving and hold off on any citrus juice as this will interact with the color of the tuna and begin to “cook” it. A really high quality lemon infused extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt is all you need.
Serves two, as a starter or appetizer.
Ingredients:
200g raw tuna, from your local fish shop
2 tbsp, 30g, extra virgin olive oil, I used a lemon olive oil from Brightland
1 shallot, sliced into thin rings
1 tbsp, 15g, rice wine vinegar
1 green cayenne chilli, or any mild green chilli, deseeded and finely diced
3-4 blackberries, sliced into rounds
10 curry leaves
3 tbsp, 45g, neutral oil
zest of 1 lime
pinch of flakey salt
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
wafer crackers, or toasted sourdough, to enjoy
Method:
Prep the tuna: slice tuna into rough pieces, then continue chopping until you get minced tuna. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, fridge
Prep shallots: slice shallot into thin rings and transfer to a small, in fact tiny, bowl. Pour rice wine vinegar over the shallots and set aside.
Prep chilli and blackberries: slice blackberries into flat rings, slicing it from the bottom to the top into round planks. Deseed a mild green chilli and finely dice.
Fry curry leaves: add neutral oil to a small fry pan and bring the heat to medium-low. Wait 2-3 minutes for the oil to get hot, then lower the heat to low and drop in the curry leaves and remove once the sizzling stops (1-2 mins). Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
Assemble: grab a large kitchen spoon or utensil and scoop tuna directly into the spoon, molding the tuna to hold it’s shape. If you’re using a kitchen spoon, it should be the shape of an egg. Smooth over the sides with a rubber spatula. Transfer the tuna to a serving plate.
Garnish tuna with shallots, leaving behind the rice wine vinegar in the bowl. Top shallots with blackberries pressed onto the tuna, then green chilli, lime zest, curry leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Enjoy with wafer crackers or toasted sourdough.
