Happy new year to everyone! A few days late I know – I’ve been slacking. Travel has been getting the best of me. Can you believe I’ve already spent a month in Vietnam and am now on to a new country – Thailand? I certainly can’t.

So since I’m in a dwelling in the past kind of mood I’m going to share my favorite recipe from 2012. There were quite a few recipes in the running, but I think top prize goes to this one.

Tuna Tartar.

Ever tried it? You haven’t lived until you do (ok that might be a slight exaggeration but you get the idea). This dish is absolutely amazing and this recipe is killer too, might I add.

I won’t even take full credit for it. That goes to the lovely Ina, and my catering company friends, Emily and Megan.

They were the ones who introduced me to this wonderful concotion of an appetizer (turned full meal in my apartment).

This was our of our hit bite sized appetizers for our catering events, and I can’t even tell you how difficult it was to make a platter of these for 200 people without eating every other one.

Now that’s self control I tell you.

Thankfully once I had my hands on this masterpiece of a recipe I could recreate these at home. In fact, I’m attaching a video of me making them below (sorry, but this one is amateur hour).

Meant as an appetizer but I dare you to have less than 10.

With an asian twist this tuna tartar has the perfect balance of textures and flavors. Each ingredient is added in moderation so as not to overpower the other.

Tuna + avocado + sesame seeds + lime juice = heaven

Put that on a rice cracker with a paper thin slice of cucumber and I’m yours.

For those of you feeling iffy about this whole “raw tuna” ordeal, trust me the fresh tuna at Whole Foods is perfect for the recipe and the acidity of the lime juice actually “cooks” the tuna in a way. To be safe let the mixture marinate longer, though I’ve made this many times and it’s been fine. Just make sure to buy fresh tuna and make the dish soon – don’t let the tuna sit in the fridge for days beforehand.

Also for those of you interested: check out my first cooking video!

Tuna Tartar

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Asian

Prep time: 90 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 8

Quite simply the best appetizer in the world – Tuna tartar on a rice cracker with cucumber

Ingredients

½ pound tuna, chopped
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons 1 teaspoon lime
zest of 1 lime
½ teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons 1 teaspoon olive oil
⅓-1/2 avocado, diced
¼ teaspoon wasabi powder
12 long English cucumber, thinly sliced on mandolin
30-35 rice crackers
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

In a large bowl combine tuna, soy sauce, lime juice, zest, sesame oil, olive oil, wasabi and avocado. Let marinate in the fridge for one hour.
To assemble dip a cucumber into the tuna tartar mix (to act as a glue) and add to the rice cracker. Top with a spoonful of tuna tartar mix and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve immediately (do not assemble until ready to serve).

Recipe Adapted from The Food Network