How to Make Marinated Tataki

The Tuna tataki has become very popular and it's a great recipe to make at home. Today I'll tell you how to make marinated tataki at home, which more than a recipe tataki is a cooking technique or way of preparing fish and meats, very easy to learn and that you can apply to different fish and with your favorite sauces.

Let's look at some tricks to make tataki at home and some things that will be of interest to carry it out, and then I'll leave you a marinated tataki recipe with soy that I hope you like as much as I do.

What tataki is

The word tataki is a way of preparing meat or fish from Asian cuisine. It basically consists of marinating the food and cooking it leaving it practically raw inside (unlike the sashimi, technique, in which the food is completely raw).

You can apply the tataki technique to tuna, bonito, salmon, as well as to meats or vegetables (not chicken), and use different marinades as well as coatings.

• The most common is to prepare marinades based on soy sauce, which are mixed with ginger, with orange or lemon juices, etc. But you could also marinate it with olive oil and spices.
• The pieces are coated in seeds. The most common is to coat them with sesame, but you can use a mix with flax or chia seeds, or coat with chopped nuts that will add lots of flavor.

Things to keep in mind when making tataki

• Choose the loin: To make a tataki, the best cut is always the loin, whether it's fish or meat.
• Choose fresh product, and remember that color will be important: when cooking it will lose intensity, but the more color it has at the start the more it will have when serving. And we want a perfect presentation!
• We're talking about making fish practically raw, so it's highly recommended to freeze it 48 hours before cooking it.
• The cooking must be very quick, in a very hot skillet and with little oil (we want to sear it, not fry it). Since you want very high heat, do it in an iron skillet (remember that intense heat in a nonstick pan is not advisable).
• After marinating, remember to keep the liquid to pour over the tataki if you want to serve it as is (you'll want to soak up the bread!). It can also serve as a sauce, as a dressing for a green salad, rice or pasta to serve with the tataki.

Step by step to make tataki

As we said before, tataki is a technique, not a recipe in itself, and you can apply it to salmon, vegetables, meats... So, in general and to use with your chosen foods, you can make tataki following this step by step:

1. Freeze the fish for 48 hours, and let it thaw in the fridge before preparing it (do not use the microwave for this, you could cook it).
2. Prepare the marinade and put the fish loin or the food you are going to make into tataki into it). Let it marinate for two to four hours. Reserve the marinade.
3. Coat the marinated pieces in sesame seeds, or in the seed or nut mix you have prepared (sesame and chia, chopped hazelnuts...).
4. Put a skillet or iron griddle on the heat and heat it on high. When it's very hot and with hardly any oil, sear the piece (apply it whole, without cutting), passing all sides for barely 15 seconds.
5. Remove it from the skillet and wait for the piece to cool down.
6. Slice the piece into slices about one centimeter thick and slightly diagonal, with a very sharp knife.

Red tuna tataki recipe with sesame

Ingredients

• 400 g fresh red tuna loin
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 50 ml rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• Ground ginger
• Salt

Bowls and salad bowls

Preparation

1. Prepare the marinade: in a bowl, mix the rice vinegar with the soy sauce. Add a teaspoon of ground ginger and a pinch of salt to the mixture. Mix.
2. Cut the tuna loin with a knife on the WMF wooden cutting board into two strips about 5 cm wide and put them in the bowl, covering them with the marinade. Let them rest about 2 hours in the fridge (turn them over a few times).
3. In a skillet, toast the seeds for a few minutes if you bought them raw (this step is not necessary if they are already toasted).
4. After the marinating time, pour the toasted sesame seeds onto a plate or board, and pass the tuna loins over them, making the seeds stick well to the loin.
5. Heat a skillet or cast-iron grill over high heat, cook the two tuna loins for about 15 seconds on all sides.
6. Remove from the skillet and let cool.
7. Slice the pieces as you would to serve a sashimi (horizontally, in slices about one centimeter thick and with a sharp knife). Your Tuna Tataki is ready!

Notes

You can accompany the Tataki in many ways. As is by pouring a few tablespoons of the marinade over it, or I particularly love it accompanied by a colorful salad, which with the soy sauce and the Tataki is phenomenal.

This recipe couldn't be tastier! Also, you should know that tuna Tataki is a dish as complete as it is delicious, since it is highly nutritious, healthy and tasty. Are you in?