Tuna Carpaccio – our first course on our ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’ menu for Christmas Eve 2008. I have always shied away from serving carpaccio, either meat or fish, at home but my brother, Joe, wanted to give this a try for our Christmas Eve feast – and I am glad we did! This is super easy to prepare and is both delicious and impressive for a dinner party. The creaminess of the tuna mingled beautifully with the spicy bite of the arugula. The arugula was fresh picked from my brother’s garden – a pleasant side effect of being in California for Christmas! (The arugula is a tad out-of-focus for this shot – a pleasant side effect of too much prosecco on Christmas Eve :o)!)
Tuna Carpaccio with Arugula and Caper Vinaigrette
For vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon small capers
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
For tuna:
1 pound sushi-grade tuna
For garnish:
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
1 medium shallot, diced fine
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 cups loosely packed arugula
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Directions:
Make vinaigrette:
-Whisk red wine vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and capers. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
Prepare tuna:
-Using a very, very sharp knife, slice the tuna into very thin tuna steaks. You can freeze tuna for a few minutes prior to make it easier to slice.
-Lay a piece of plastic wrap out. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil to keep the tuna from sticking. Place one tuna steak on the plastic and drizzle top with a tiny bit of olive oil. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top of tuna.
-Using a kitchen mallet or rolling pin, gently pound the tuna to paper thin thickness. Try to make the tuna a consistent thickness throughout.
-Repeat with remaining tuna slices. Refrigerate.
Assembly:
-In a medium bowl, mix the arugula with the vinaigrette. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.
-Remove tuna from plastic wrap and place on chilled plates. Drizzle tuna with a tad of extra virgin olive oil. Spinkle with lemon juice, minced shallots, salt and pepper. Place mound of arugula atop each piece.
Serve and enjoy!!