The Dudes of Food

6035 Peachtree Rd.
Doraville, GA 30341

A wise Korean supermarket employee once said: “with tuna you must go frozen, for fresh catch will be smelly by nightfall.” And thus spake the Korean man, and words of wisdom they were; a lesson that would forever change our lives. The tuna is frozen within minutes of being caught, explained he, whereas the refrigerated tuna sits out all day.
We left the store with one block of Tuna priced at $9.69 (cost varies based on weight)

Buying the fish is easy; preparing it is a whole new ballgame. Below is a simple recipe for a fancy meal sure to impress the hottest of dates and the sweetest of grandmothers:

Gourmet Tuna Tartar
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Required Skill: Basic Knifemanship
Meal Type: Hot date/ Family Dinner
Ingredients:

• A block of sashimi grade tuna from the Super H-Mart
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Sesame seeds (black if you’re feeling sassy)
• Green onion
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sugar
• Nori (dried seaweed)

If you don’t have all of these ingredients, they can easily be purchased at the Super-H mart or your local ethnic supermarket (we love the Buford Highway Farmers Market). The tartar can be made in a mini blender or by hand. Ideally you can throw it all in a blender, but below is the traditional preparation.

Procedure:

1. Allow tuna to thaw and defrost.
2. Finely chop the tuna until it reaches a tartar-like texture (very chopped, see picture below). When you think it is chopped enough, chop it up more. The texture is important here.
3. Slice the green onion and a quarter of a sheet of Nori.
4. Place the green onion, tuna, and Nori into a bowl.
5. Add 3 tablespoons of sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the tuna mixture.
6. Mix thoroughly.
7. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
8. Optional: Crack a raw quail egg over the tartar
   

Shaping and molding of the tartar is from each according to his ability. If hungry, quickly morph this refined protein into a hardy rice bowl. Simply cook two cups of sushi rice. Add two tablespoons of rice wine vinegar and one tablespoon of sesame oil to the rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped Nori.