Tuna Tartare

Make the puffed rice and the dressing the day before. Then it is easy to assemble the tartare an hour before dinner.

1½ lbs (680 g) sushi-grade tuna

½ red serrano chili

1 English cucumber

1 ripe avocado

½ cup (125 mL) loosely packed cilantro leaves 1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 large lime

¾ cup (175 mL) Scallion Ginger Dressing (recipe this page)

¾ cup (175 mL) Puffed Rice (recipe this page) 1 Chop tuna into small ¼-inch (5-mm) dice. Cut away any sinew, scraping it off with a spoon. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to compose the dish. 2 Slice chili thinly. Rinse in water to help remove some of the seeds. Dry on a tray lined with paper towel. Peel cucumber, quarter and remove seeds using a small knife. Cut into small squares, ¼ inch (5 mm) each. You need about 1½ cups (375 mL). 3 Cut the avocado in half and twist open. Remove the pit and scoop avocado meat from the peel with a large spoon. Slice the avocado thinly. Pick clusters of leaves from the bunch of cilantro, a little bit of stem is ok. 4 Mix tuna, chopped cucumber, sliced chili, soy sauce and salt to taste. Do not add too much salt as scallion dressing is already well seasoned. Add lime juice to taste. 5 For each serving, loosely pile 1/3 cup (80 mL) tuna in the center of a small shallow bowl or rimmed plate. Drizzle 2 tbsp (30 mL) Scallion Ginger Dressing over the tuna and drizzle a little on the plate. Add about 4 avocado slices to the plate. Sprinkle over cilantro leaves. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp (30 mL) Puffed Rice to finish. Serve immediately.

Serves 6