This is a spin off of a wonderful recipe my favorite chef had on the menu while I worked for him in Minneapolis. It’s a little ingredient rich, but it all comes together nicely and makes for a great summer salad. You have to buy really good, fresh fish for this as well, since you will be eating it basically raw.
You will need:
6 oz. fresh fillet of salmon, skin off
6 oz. fresh steak of tuna
1 Tablespoon snipped chives
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 Tablespoon black and white sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 each, Asian pear, small dice
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 fresh mango, small dice
1 small avocado
1/2 English cucumber (medium), small dice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 Teaspoon chopped mint
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 bunch cilantro, rough chop
To begin, cut your fish fillets in half lengthwise to create two, thin fillets. Then dice the rest of the fish into small dices and toss with the lime juice,sesame seeds, chili oil, olive oil, pine nuts, diced Asian pear, mango, mint, shallots, cucumber, chives, salt and pepper. Reserve in a bowl in the refrigerator until needed.
With the avocado and cilantro, throw into a blender and add a little water, maybe 2 Tablespoons to get it going. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To plate this you can use a ring mold and smooth a dollop of the avocado puree. Add on top of the puree some of the tartar and serve as is. You could also set the tartar on a bed of Boston Bib lettuce and dollop the avocado puree over it. Choice is yours to get creative. It is also good to know that the longer the fish sits in the lime juice and oil, the more it will “cook itself” enzymatic-ally. So if you prefer your tartar a little less rare, let it marinate in there awhile before plating.
This will serve about 4 as an appetizer salad.

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