Spicy Pacific Tartares with Serrano-Cilantro Mayonnaise
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Ingredients:
8 oz fresh Ahi tuna (sashimi quality)
For the Serrano-Cilantro Mayonnaise:
10 serrano chiles
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 Tbsp salt
Instructions:
Tartare is a preparation of finely chopped raw meat or fish, optionally with seasonings and sauces. This recipe is prepared with 8 oz. fresh Ahi tuna. The fish used must be extremely fresh and of the highest sashimi-quality.
It is also extremely important to keep the fish chilled. Mark recommends chilling your plastic chopping board prior to mincing the fish and then storing the Ahi and salmon, separately, in stainless steel bowls set over ice and water.
For the Serrano-Cilantro Mayonnaise:
Roast 10 serrano chiles on a wire rack over a gas flame. Blister and blacken the skins evenly and then transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the chiles to steam for 15 minutes. Scrape off all the skin from the chiles and cut off the stems, but keep the chiles whole with their seeds. Make sure the chiles are completely cooled before preparing the mayonnaise.
Transfer chiles to a blender and add remaining ingredients for the mayonnaise. Puree until smooth. With the blender running, add 1.5 cups peanut oil, in a slow, steady stream, until completely absorbed and thick. Transfer to a bowl and keep chilled.
Recipe from Santa Fe’s Famous Coyote Cafe, via newfinmysoup.blogspot.com The tartares are prepared by adding 1/4 cup of the Serrano-Cilantro Mayonnaise to the minced Ahi tuna. Again, be sure to keep the tartares well-chilled until serving.
The tartares are supposed to be served with toasted brioche. In my Martha Stewart’s Hors d’ Oeuvres Handbook, Martha cuts brioche rounds from 3/4 inch slices of bread with a 1.5 inch round cookie cutter, and then sautes the rounds in a little butter over medium heat. I was unable to find a loaf of brioche, and settled on the last 4 brioche rolls from the bakery counter. I sliced each roll into 3/4 inch thick slices, and did my best to cut out the little rounds (obviously, I recommend finding a loaf of brioche, or similar bread, rather than rolls, for ease of cutting and higher yield of rounds). You can also serve the tartares with crackers, such as Table Water Crackers.