Deliciously Fresh Springtime Recipes

Tuna Tartare Avocado Boats

Ingredients

1 cup ponzu sauce
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons combined toasted sesame and black sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
juice of 1/2 lime
1 lb. sushi-grade tuna
2 avocados
1 small jalapeño, diced small (optional)

Directions

In a bowl, combine the ponzu sauce, sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, freshly grated ginger and lime juice. Whisk well. Give it a taste just to be sure the flavors are perfect.

Dice the tuna and add to sauce. Mix to coat.

Cut the avocado in half. On the bottom of each half, make a slight cut to flatten the avocado. Just be careful not to pierce the flesh too much. This will help to steady the avocado so that it does not fall over when you are filling it.

Make slits in the flesh of the avocado as if you were going to dice and scoop out. Do NOT scoop out. Fill each avocado half with the tuna tartare mixture.

Garnish the Tuna Tartare Avocado Boats with additional toasted and black sesame seeds. Sprinkle each avocado boat with a bit of the diced jalapeño. As an alternative, or in addition to, you can also garnish with sriracha mayo. Serve immediately.

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Squares

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sushi rice
2 1/4 cups water
5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. sushi-grade tuna
2 tablespoons Sriracha (more if you desire)
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon soy sauce
oil for frying
caviar

Directions

Place rice in pot with the water. Allow to come to a boil. Turn down heat to a simmer and simmer with lid on for exactly twenty minutes. When the rice is just about finished, heat up the rice wine vinegar, sugar and kosher salt in a saucepan.

Remove the rice from the pot and place in a large bowl or flat dish. Pour on about half of the heated vinegar mixture. With a sushi paddle or wooden spoon, gently incorporate the mixture into the rice.

Mold rice into a small pan; a 9-inch by 9-inch will work fine. Cover with a damp paper towel and place in the fridge for up to eight hours. I left mine in for about two. You can place in freezer for a quicker set.

After the rice has set, cut into squares. Heat up oil in a non-stick pan. You just need enough to cover the rice squares to about half their thickness. Fry the rice squares in the hot oil until they are nice and golden brown on both sides. This should take about four to five minutes per side. Try not to touch as they are frying, this will make them more likely to break apart.

Dice sushi-grade tuna. In a bowl, mix mayo with sriracha. Fold in the diced tuna.

Plate the crispy rice squares. Spoon on a generous amount of the spicy mayo tuna. Top with a high-quality caviar. For this recipe, I used an Osetra caviar. Feel free to serve with soy sauce or a little ponzu drizzled with a great sesame oil. ENJOY!