Melissa Leong, Dan Hong

Sashimi of Tuna with Sweet Wasabi, Soy Ginger Dressing

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Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Serves

    5

    as an Entrée

Appears in

top 1000Mr Hong

Mr Hong

By Dan Hong

Published 2014

Easily one of the most popular dishes in the history of Lotus. The sweet wasabi is really what makes this dish. During the height of the elBulli hype, a chef I worked with at Moog had just returned from working there and came up with this emulsion to serve with fish. The heat and sweetness work well with any raw seafood, particularly scallops, scampi or kingfish.

Ingredients

Sweet Wasabi

  • 90 g (3¼ oz/2 tubes) wasabi
  • 1 egg yolk
  • juice of ½ lime
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 350 ml (12 fl oz) grapeseed oil

Ginger Vinaigrette

  • 1½ tablespoons mirin
  • 100 ml (3½ fl oz) sugar syrup (Essentials)
  • 100 ml (3½ fl oz) rice wine vinegar
  • 165 ml (5¼ fl oz) light soy sauce
  • 300 ml (10½ fl oz) ginger oil (Essentials)

The Rest

  • 5 × 100 g (3½ oz) pieces sashimi-grade tuna, sinew and bloodlines removed
  • 2 spring onions (scallion), thinly sliced
  • 150 g (5½ oz) alted cucumber (Essentials)
  • 30 g (1 oz) wakame, rehydrated, sliced
  • baby coriander (cilantro) and baby shiso (perilla) leaves, to garnish
  • sea salt flakes, to serve

Method

Peel the kohlrabi. This recipe uses the white turnip-like flesh of the vegetable. Cut the flesh into long matchsticks about 5 mm (¼ inch) thick. Transfer the kohlrabi matchsticks to an airtight container and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover and set aside in a cool place overnight.

Sweet Wasabi

This emulsion is similar to a mayonnaise. Put the wasabi, egg yolk, lime juice, honey and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Turn the machine onto a low setting and slowly, very slowly, pour 150 ml (5 floz) of oil into the food processor in a steady stream. At this stage, if the mayonnaise gets a little thick, add a little splash of water. Slowly pour in the rest of the oil in a steady stream. The end result should resemble a really thick mayonnaise.

Ginger Vinaigrette

Add all ingredients in a bowl with 130 ml (4¼ fl oz) water and mix until well combined. Set aside.

The Rest

When you are ready to serve the sashimi, use a sharp knife to cut each piece of tuna into 7– 8 pieces and transfer to a bowl. Whisk the vinaigrette and pour about 3 tablespoons of it over the tuna. Leave to marinate for 1–2 minutes.

In another bowl, add the spring onions, pickled kohlrabi (drained), salted cucumber and wakame. Gently mix the lot with your hands and divide among five bowls.

To Serve

Arrange the marinated tuna pieces on top of the salad and spoon some of the marinade dressing over the fish. Garnish with baby coriander and shiso leaves and sprinkle with a few salt flakes. Finally, spoon some of the sweet wasabi emulsion on the side of the plate for dipping.

© 2014 All rights reserved. Published by Murdoch Books.