Last night I took my time and made myself an appertifo of sorts: Yellow Fin Tuna Carpaccio (raw, thinly sliced) with a Yuzu-Tarragon sauce. I let the sauce sit on the tuna for about 20 minutes before I ate it so it would all come to room tempreature and the tuna would cook a little like ceviche. Here’s what you need for two people:

1/2 pound or quarter kilo Yellow Fin Sashimi Tuna
Fresh Tarragon (about 10-12 leaves or one stick: do not subsitute dry; choose another herb)
1 Yuzu (A Japanese citrus similar in appearance to a lumpy lemon or a yellow manderin orange)
1 lime
Salt & Pepper

Rinse & pat dry your block of tuna. Tell your fish market you intend to cut it carpaccio so that they give you the easiest peice to cut. You want to use your sharpest knife and “shave” off the peices. Lay the peices on 1-2 plates, barely overlapping.

Mince the tarragon, add to a small mixing bowl. Juice one yuzu, zest one half and add to bowl. Use the juice of half one fresh lime, into the bowl. With a whisk, stir briskly while adding olive oil: about half the amount as there is juice in the bowl (2 parts juice to one part oil). Add a generous pinch of salt (I like to use Pink Atlantic salt) and a couple turns of a pepper mill. When mixed well, pour over the tuna. Let set for 20 minutes until some parts of the tuna have turned white, and it is pretty much room temperature. Do not sit it somewhere warm while this is happening.

Then I made Ricotta & Beet raviolis with Poppy-Butter sauce, like I did this summer in Italy, but I’ll post that another day sine I don’t have a picture.