Sometimes when I cater parties the client springs for tuna tartare for an appetizer. I usually season the raw tuna with a soy, garlic, ginger type of seasoning in that case and serve it on little porcelain Asian soup spoons like this. I also like to use sushi grade tuna with a spicy sauce when I teach kids’ sushi classes like I did this week. It’s perfect for making a spicy tuna roll and the kids seem to love the sauce and the tuna. At the end of class I had a little tuna left and a little of the spicy sauce, plus some chopped up veggies and I was inspired to make this salad – it’s perfect for lunch.The key to making it so pretty is to use a ring mold. After mixing together all of the ingredients, load it into a ring mold, pressing everything down together, then carefully remove the mold, top with some sesame seeds, garnish with cilantro sprigs if you like, and dig in!
- 12 ounces sushi grade tuna, diced small
- ½ cup Spicy Sushi Sauce
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 1 carrot, grated
- ½ small cucumber, seeded and diced small
- 2 scallions, chopped
- sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
- Combine the tuna with the sauce, pepper, carrot, cucumber, and scallions and stir to combine. Place 4 rings molds onto 4 salad plates and divide the tuna salad between the 4 ring molds, pressing into the molds as you fill them. Remove the molds carefully, sprinkle with sesame seeds and garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.