Chef JULIAN SERRANO of PICASSO, Bellagio, Las Vegas
Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare with Toasted Pine Nuts and Pommes Gaufrettes Recipe
METHOD: Scrape the tuna meat from the connective fibers of the tuna, then mince, taking care to keep the fish as cold as possible. Work only with small amounts and keep the product in pans that are in ice baths.
Combine tuna, lemon zest, olives, shallots, and capers with olive oil, coating until mix has a shine but is not excessively oily. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toast the pine nuts in a saute pan or roast in an oven, watching carefully as these will burn easily.
Peel cucumber, slice in half lengthwise, and then cut crosswise very finely, making half-moon shapes.
TO PLATE: Make quenelle of tuna mix and carefully place on the inside end of a potato chip so the chip curls up and off the plate. Garnish with six pine nuts, "studding" evenly each side of the quenelle. Shingle six slices of cucumber, (three each side) to border the tuna quenelle, round side out.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 LB Yellow Fin Tuna
1/2 TSP Nicoise Olives, Minced
1/2 TSP Shallots, Minced
1/2 TSP Lemon Zest
1/2 TSP Capers, Minced
1/2- 1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBSP Pine Nuts, Toasted
1/2 EA English Cucumber
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Yukon gold potatoes
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