Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
If you are time-strapped, any of the components of this recipe work well on their own.
Servings: 4
Ready Time: 45 minutes
Wine Pairings: Over all, the weight of chef Lee’s dish here is light but the flavours are punchy and layered. It calls for a white with tang. I would go with a dry white that’s zesty around the edges yet with a suggestion of rounded sweetness in the middle. Two prime candidates: gruner veltliner from Austria or chenin blanc, either from France’s Loire Valley (as in Vouvray) or from South Africa. Other good options: riesling, dry sparkling wine or Australian semillon. - Beppi Crosariol
Tonnato Sauce
1/4 cup tuna packed in oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 drops hot sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
Seared tuna
8 oz. sushi-grade tuna loin
Salt
3 tbsp finely ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salad
2/3 cup julienne daikon radish
2/3 cup julienne celery root
1 tbsp julienne strips of ginger
Salt
Tartare
8 ounces sushi grade-tuna, 1/2-inch diced
1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
2 tsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp Japanese soy sauce
2 tsp egg white
1 tbsp yuzu or lemon juice
4 drops hot sauce
Garnish
1/2 an avocado, 1/4 inch diced
12 edamame beans
12 taro chips
1 finely sliced bird’s eye chili
1/2 cup pea tendrils
Method
Tonnato: Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down as needed. Reserve.
Seared Tuna: Slice tuna into 2 rectangles, lengthwise. Season with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Roll each loin in pepper, coating all sides.
Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add one piece of tuna and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Submerge tuna into ice water to stop cooking. Transfer to a plate and reserve. Repeat with second piece of tuna.
Combine daikon, celery root and ginger in a bowl of cold water. Reserve.
Tartare: Stir shallots with cilantro, sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white, yuzu juice and hot sauce. Combine with diced tuna. Taste for seasoning.
Assembly: Press 1/4 of the tartare mixture into a 3-inch ring mould on a plate. Remove ring and repeat with remaining tartare. Top tartare with avocado. Drain daikon mixture, squeezing out excess water. Season with salt and twist a small amount of the salad over the avocado. Spoon tonnato sauce around the tartare. Slice seared tuna into 1/4-inch slice and lay over tonnato or around the plate. Garnish plate with edamame, taro chips, pepper slices and tendrils.
Lucy Waverman