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Epicurious

Tuna Spoons

The best cocktail conversations are light, easy, and entertaining—and cocktail party food ought to follow suit. Inspired by an appetizer I enjoyed at New York City’s BLT Steak, I tossed cubes of raw tuna with avocado, citrus juice, wasabi paste, and a touch of sesame oil and served the mix in ceramic spoons instead of on a plate. As simple to prepare as it is to eat, each Tuna Spoon contains just a mouthful—custom-made to enjoy with cocktails.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 16 tablespoon-size portions

Ingredients

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 medium lime)
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3/4 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna, cut into
1/8-inch dice
1 ripe medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into small dice

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a ceramic or glass bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon and lime juices, wasabi paste, and sesame oil. Gently stir in the tuna and avocado, being sure to coat them evenly with the soy-citrus mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 30 minutes, but not more than 6 hours. Use a tablespoon to measure out portions, placing 1 tablespoon of the mixture in each of 16 ceramic spoons. Serve immediately.

  2. do it early

    Step 2

    The dish can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before serving. Make the individual portions just before serving.

  3. tip

    Step 3

    To serve this appetizer, it’s easiest to use Japanese-style ceramic soup spoons, but any spoon with a flat bottom and a generous rim will do. I’ve also used small, shallow pitchers. Feel free to experiment with just about any small container that allows guests to easily tip the mixture into their mouths.

  4. Step 4

    Wasabi paste, also known as Japanese horseradish, is available at most large supermarkets or Asian specialty markets. It’s got a spicy kick that can clear your sinuses, so a little goes a long way.

Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved. A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances. Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.
TagsCevicheTunaFishSeafoodAvocadoVegetableStarterDinnerDairy FreeKetoEasyNo-CookCookbooks
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