Tuna Carpaccio

Tuna Carpaccio is an Italian dish made with paper thin slices of tuna and seasoned with lemon and olive oil. It’s an elegant starter or light main I used to make in my restaurant days and just as easy to make at home. Let’s go!

Tuna Carpaccio

Today’s recipe is a dish from my restaurant days. Every chef knows the starters on a menu matter a lot, they set the tone and expectations for everything that follows, and this is one I used to make over and over when I worked in kitchens.

It’s a fish version of carpaccio, traditionally Italian and originally made with raw beef. First created in Venice, it was served as very thinly sliced and pounded beef with olive oil and lemon. Seafood versions, like tuna carpaccio, came later and are now common across Italian and modern European restaurants.

The fish is so fine, thanks to a light pounding, it almost “smears” as you pick it up and melts in your mouth when you eat it. I like to not overload with garnish, the tuna is the star here. Serve with lightly toasted thin slices of bread for that perfect contrast that makes it feel like you’re dining out somewhere special (you are, just at home!).

Ingredients

This is all you need to make Tuna Carpaccio. If you can’t find a block of sashimi grade tuna, just get tuna slices from your cheerful local sushi shop instead!

• Sashimi-grade tuna – You only need 120g / 4oz of tuna to cover a dinner plate. A little bit goes far because it is pounded so thinly. Make sure you get fresh tuna that is safe for eating raw, it doesn’t necessarily have to be sashimi-grade but if it’s sold with that label then you know it is. Sashimi grade fish should be consumed within a day, anything beyond that and you start losing what makes it so special.

  Other suitable fish – While I’ve used tuna, you can make carpaccio with any fish that is lovely eaten raw. Some popular varieties used for carpaccio include kingfish, salmon and snapper. See blue box below for more options by region.

• Lemon vinaigrette (lemon, olive oil, sugar) – It plays a key role in this dish. It brings everything together with its acidity that cuts through the richness of the tuna and lifts the overall flavour, keeping everything clean and balanced. Without it, the carpaccio would definitely feel a little flat.

• Salt flakes – These are lighter and more delicate than grains so you get better coverage when using it as a finishing salt (as opposed to mixing into things). But don’t worry if you don’t have flakes, you can really use any salt!

• Onion and vinegar – To make the lightly pickled onion which adds a touch of freshness to the carpaccio. Beef carpaccio is usually made with capers but I find that a little harsh with fish, I prefer a more delicate pickled onion, plus I like how the white onion looks against the red tuna.

• Chives – Having something green and fresh works well here for both visual and flavour.

• Decorative garnishes (cheffy!) – You really only need the vinaigrette, something fresh (the onion) and something green (chives), and you’ve got yourself a really tasty carpaccio. But us chefs like to take things one step further (we can’t help it!). So here I’ve used Espelette pepper. It’s one of my favourite French spices. It brings a gentle heat with a slightly fruity flavour that works beautifully here. We’re only touching on it briefly in this recipe, but it really deserves more attention. Trust me, I’ll take the time to talk about it properly in a future post. And I’ve also used small edible flowers which are more about visual than essential for flavour.

  While they’re a nice touch I’d insist on using at restaurants, for home purposes I wouldn’t go out of my way to get either of them. Just use chilli powder for a sprinkle of red. As for the edible flowers – these are from Nagi’s garden (pansies).

How To Make Tuna Carpaccio

Tuna Carpaccio is simple to make because you only need to pound the fish very lightly. Pounding delicate fish might feel wrong, but not only does it give you that signature silky, almost melt-in-your-mouth texture with a delicate, even thickness, it’s also far easier than trying to slice paper-thin pieces, something even professionals can struggle to do consistently.

1. Pickle the onion first just by soaking it in the vinegar then setting aside for 15 minutes to let it go floppy.

2. Lemon vinaigrette for carpaccio – Mix the lemon, olive oil and sugar in a bowl.

3. Pounding – Place the first piece of tuna on its flat side (see why in the recipe card’s notes below) between two sheets of go-between or parchment paper / baking paper until it is 2mm thin. It only needs a gentle pounding or rolling because fish is very delicate. Take care not to tear it.

4. Flip the tuna onto the centre of the plate.

5. Fill edges – Pound the second piece of tuna then cut into pieces to fill around the edges so you end up with a single layer covering the whole plate. ** At this point you can cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until required.**

6. Brush the surface generously with the lemon vinaigrette just before serving. Don’t do it too far ahead as the lemon will “cook” the tuna (like lime juice does with ceviche), after around 15 minutes.

7. Sprinkle with salt flakes, Espelette pepper (or chilli powder), chives, pickled onion and scatter with flowers, if using.

8. Serve immediately with crostini on the side!

Serve immediately, straight after dressing so everything is at its best. It works well as a light starter for 2 or placed in the middle of the table for 4 to share. I personally have it all to myself with a small side salad like our baby gem lettuce salad or a bistro salad. Add a few crostini on the side to scoop everything up and you are all set! It’s that easy! I hope you enjoy making it and eating it. Please share your feedback with me, I always love hearing how it turned out for you! Bon appétit! – JB

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Watch How To Make it

In Memory Of Dozer

This is one of my favourite photos from Nagi’s first cookbook “Dinner”. It’s me holding the prawn, trying to get Dozer to launch himself out of the pool and eat it. It took us many takes to get the shot, and he went for it every single time without hesitation. I can’t remember how many prawns he ate that day (see below why 🤣) . It’s safe to say that he was very committed to his role! We miss you, Dozer!

All right, take 24 let’s do this JB! I promise I’ll get it this time.

Ok, target locked. I’ve got this!

It’s mine!

Oops… Oh no….

So sorry.. Can we do it again?