Japan has given us seafood lovers many fantastic preparations for fish and shellfish. Japanese freshness, quality and beautiful presentation have been an inspiration to us for years. One of the most delicious and scrumptious looking dishes to me is tuna tataki. If you love tuna sashimi and sushi, you’ll probably really go for this dish because it’s basically sashimi that is seared and served raw in the center. The searing gives the fish a little added flavor and texture, especially if you coat the outside of the fish with sesame seeds or peppercorns (I use both).
Super fresh #1 tuna (we sell yellowfin and big eye) will have a nice fat content along with bright color and a nice translucence to it. It should almost look like the light is passing through the fish. When seared with the sesame seeds and peppercorns and then sliced, the contrasting colors and textures are a sight to behold.
This dish makes a great appetizer, small plate, first course, or increase the portions and make a meal of it- served with rice and maybe a mixed green salad.
The dipping sauce for tataki is usually Ponzu, a great vinegar, citrus, bonito flake sauce that is added to soy sauce to make ponzu shoyu. The recipe for ponzu is a bit time consuming so we’ve come up with a good quickie sauce that’s made with Kikkoman Ponzu. You’ll be amazed that you can create such an impressive dish in just minutes!
P.S. On rare occasions we see sushi grade bonito at the market. A little darker and fuller flavored than big eye or yellowfin, it’s incredible for tataki.
