Fish tartare is simple to make and incredibly good value compared to dining out.
At a restaurant in Sydney, this plate of Tuna Tartare would cost at least$40 probably more!
Such as withCevicheandPoke Bowls, this can be made with any sashimi-grade sparkling fresh fish suitable for raw consumption.
My friend Rob with one of his many barra catches!
Its fresh but creamy, light but indulgent, sweet but tangy.
The softness of the tartare makes it perfect for piling onto crunchy crostini.
Every single bite is just heaven.
And I know you dont believe me, but its incredible value too!
The two expensive ingredients in this are the sashimi-grade tuna and lychees.
But heres the thing.You dont need much of them!Seriously.
That generous pile you see in the photo above is made with just 200g/7oz of tuna and 7 lychees.
Just look at it!
Come on, admit it!!
Thats what takes this from yummy to extra special.
You dont need much, a little goes a long way because theyre so juicy and sweet.
When I start seeing lychees, I know summer is just around the corner.
Do you know what lychees are?
They are slightly smaller than a golf ball and have a blush red rind.
Theyre easy to peel and the flesh is white andveryjuicy.
My friend Rob with one of his many barra catches!
It tastes like a grape but better.
Its funny how particular foods bring back memories.
Lychees always reminds me of rafting trips.
Thats me on the left in the raft on the photo below.
Clinging onto the raft for dear life while the boys did all the work!
I was also convinced that I would be a midnight snack for crocs.
Like in the photo above up nice and high on a rock!
I know youre wondering what on earth this has to do with lychees!
Well, put it this way.
Prevent screen from sleeping
We didnt have fresh lychees.
Fresh lychees would not have survived 30 minutes!
Do you know how HARD it was to pack for this trip?
You see those red waterproof bags below?
We eachsharedone of those for our personals.Including sleeping bags!For THREE weeks!!
So every time I see lychees, it reminds me of that trip.
And the other standout memory from that trip is freshwater barramundi (barra!).
Freshwater barra is pretty darn special because its only found in a few remote areas in Australia.
High end restaurants in Sydney pay an absolutefortunefor fresh (rather than frozen) freshwater barra.
Well, let me tell you.
It was a sight to see, thats for sure!!
Suffice to say, we were enjoying fresh barra for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
YES we had sashimi!!
We even had soy sauce and wasabi with us in the hope of catching barra!!!
So I used tuna, which is much more readily available.
It just has to besashimi grade fish, which means fresh, fresh, fresh!!!
Most fish mongers have a sign indicating which fish are sashimi-grade.
If not, just ask them which fish are sashimi-grade.
I feel like I say those words a lot to my local fish monger.
Im sure he will agree.
I hope you enjoy!
