Bigeye Tuna Carpaccio

This classic appetizer may not be new and exciting, but there's a reason why it's still around. Like a carefully rehearsed orchestra each component layers on top of each other creating a harmony of tastes and textures that changes with each bite. Building on a base of ultra-fresh Bigeye Tuna, the olive oil adds richness and a creamy mouthfeel. Salty capers and pecorino romano adds savory bursts of umami. This is all accented by the sharp tang of the lemon juice and peppery bite of the watercress. 

Makes 1 serving

prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: N/A
passive time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

70 grams Bigeye Tuna
1 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon olive oil (to taste)
sea salt (to taste)
pecorino romano, for garnish
watercress for garnish
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Chill the plate you plan to serve the carpaccio on in the refrigerator.

2. To make the tuna easier to slice thinly, partially freeze it so that it is firm, but not solid. Use a long very sharp knife to slice the chutoro as thinly as possible and cover the plate in slices of tuna. If you're preparing this ahead of time, cover and place this in the refrigerator and finish just before serving. 

3. To finish the carpaccio, scatter the capers on top and then drizzle with the olive oil.

4. Sprinkle with salt and shave some pecorino romano on top (a vegetable peeler works great for this). 

5. Scatter some watercress leaves around the plate and drizzle with lemon juice just before eating (lemon juice will start to "cook" the tuna on contact).