This easy Tuna Tartare recipe features ahi tuna in a simple soy marinade served over wasabi-spiked avocado with ponzu sauce and wonton chips. This is an easy dairy- and gluten-free appetizer that’s perfect for seafood lovers!
Tuna tartare may look fancy, but it’s one of the easiest dishes you can make at home!
Table of contents
What is Tuna Tartare?
If you’re unfamiliar with tuna tartare, it’s a dish made of finely chopped raw tuna in a seasoned sauce. Most often, it’s paired with an Asian-inspired soy or mayonnaise based sauce because the flavors match up so well.
I order a tuna tartare stack literally any time I see it on a menu. I love the combination of the flavorful tuna, creamy avocado, and crunchy cucumber. It’s a flavor pairing that’s made in heaven! However, when ordering it at a restaurant, it usually comes with a hefty price tag. Now, you can make restaurant-quality ahi tartare recipe at home for a fraction of the cost.
Besides, who doesn’t love a no-cook recipe that only takes 20 minutes to throw together? All you’ve got to do is mix everything up, stack it using a ring mold, and dig in!
Jenny’s Tip: Steak Tartare is more traditional, but raw fish tartare have become more popular in recent years.
Selecting the Best Tuna for Eating Raw
For this tuna tartare recipe, I opted for frozen Ahi tuna from Central Market and it was absolutely perfect. (You could also use yellowtail, albacore, big eye tuna, salmon, or even diced raw scallops.)
When enjoying raw tuna tartare, it’s important to select the right fish! The first step would be to stop by your local fishmonger, or the seafood counter at Whole Foods or Central Market. Communicate what you’re looking to do and they’ll point you in the right direction.
You want “sushi grade” tuna, which has been frozen for long enough in cold temperatures to make it safe to eat.
Note that the term ‘sushi-grade’ is actually a bit of a misleading phrase because there is no governing body that regulates the quality of fish. However, the FDA recommends that fish being consumed raw should be frozen for a period of time to kill any potential parasites in the fish. As with any food consumed raw (including tartare, carpaccio, and ceviche), you’re assuming some level of risk.
The Main Ingredients (+ Substitutions)
Jenny’s Tip: If you’re buying frozen fish, defrost it in the fridge and only pull it out right before serving. Working with raw seafood at room temperature can be unsafe, so keep everything cold.
- Tuna. Source quality, sushi-grade raw tuna from a reputable source like your local fish monger or from a store like Whole Foods, Central Market, or your local Asian or Japanese market. You could also swap in yellowtail, albacore, salmon, or even chopped raw scallops.
- Marinade. We’re making a simple Asian-inspired marinade with salty soy sauce, sweet mirin (or sake), toasted sesame oil, and spicy sriracha. Feel free to use chili garlic paste or sambal if you don’t have sriracha on hand.
- Avocado. The creamy avocado is a great pairing with the tuna.
- Wasabi paste. Serving wasabi paste with sushi is a given, and adding some to the avocado adds tons of flavor!
- Japanese mayo. Mixing a little mayo into the avocado adds a bit more fat and flavor. You could use any mayonnaise you have.
- Cucumber. Thinly sliced cucumber on top adds crunch and fresh flavor.
- Ponzu. Ponzu is a citrus-y Japanese condiment made with citrus, soy, mirin, sugar and salt.
- Wonton wrappers. Fry up some wonton wrappers until golden as the perfect way to serve tuna tartare.
Tools Needed
How to Make Tuna Tartare in Just 20 Minutes
- Fry the wonton chips. Detailed instructions on how to do so have been provided in the recipe card below.
- Dice and marinate the tuna. I suggest cutting the raw ahi tuna into small, 1/2-inch cubes. Submerge in the marinade and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Jenny’s Tip: When working with meat or raw fish, you never want to use a wooden cutting board. Wood is porous and can absorb odors and bacteria. Opt for a composite plastic cutting board like this one.
- Mix the avocado. The avocado is mashed with the mayo, wasabi, salt, pepper, and a bit of lime juice.
- Assemble. Use a ring mold to assemble your ahi tartare! You’ll be packing in the ingredients in this order: avocado, marinated tuna, sliced cucumber and sesame seeds. Finish with a drizzle of ponzu sauce before enjoying!
Make-Ahead Option
You can mix and marinate the tuna tartare up to 4 hours ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving tuna tartare with crispy wonton chips, but there are so many options! Here are some of my favorite ways to serve tuna tartare:
- with cucumber slices
- in an endive or lettuce cup
- with rice crackers or shrimp chips
- inside an avocado
- over crispy rice squares or steamed sushi rice
Your FAQs, Answered!
What’s the difference between ceviche and tuna tartare?
Tuna tartare is totally raw, whereas ceviche has been cured in lime juice which totally changes the texture of the fish to feel like it’s cooked.
Should you wash raw tuna before serving?
No! You should not wash the raw tuna before cooking. It doesn’t do anything to prevent bacterial growth and instead contaminates your sink and utensils.
Next time you’re throwing a dinner and need an easy appetizer, try this ahi tuna tartare recipe! It’s one of my party go-to’s and never fails to impress. If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Easy Seafood Appetizers to Try Now
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Ahi Tuna Tartare Recipe
Ingredients
Tuna and Marinade
- 12 oz raw ahi tuna, fresh sushi-grade
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Avocado
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
- 1 tablespoon Japanese mayo (kewpie)
- 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon mixed sesame seeds
- salt and pepper
Wonton Chips (Optional, for serving)
- wonton wrappers
- canola oil (only if frying)
Remaining ingredients
- 1 baby cucumber, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons ponzu sauce
Instructions
- Dice and marinate the tuna. Cut the tuna into small (1/2") cubes. Toss with the soy, mirin, sesame, sriracha, ginger, and green onion until well coated. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
- Mix the avocado. Lightly mash the avocado and mix with the mayo, wasabi, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
- Assemble. Use a ring mold to assemble. Press the avocado into the bottom of the mold, then top with tuna and press to pack it in. Remove the mold and top with thinly sliced cucumber and sesame seeds. Drizzle with ponzu sauce before serving with wonton chips.
To make the optional wonton chips:
- Fried wonton chips. Cut the wonton wrappers into triangles or rectangles. Heat 1 inch of oil in a heavy bottomed pot or skillet. Fry the wonton sheets in batches for about 90 seconds, until just barely golden brown (they brown more as they sit). Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the wontons from the oil and transfer to a paper towel lined tray to drain excess oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Baked wonton chips. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, foil, or spray cooking spray. Place the wonton wrappers on the baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Season lightly with salt. Bake for 6-8 minutes until crispy and beginning to brown.
Notes
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Better than any restaurant Tuna Tartare!! Seriously special and amazing!
So happy you enjoyed it!
Absolutely mind blowing how wonderful this came out, and so easy to make. Thank you this was delicious.