Adapted from
Martha Stewart’s
Hors D’Oeuvres
Handbook
makes 5 dozen
Intro
Ingredients
- 1 pound very fresh sushi quality yellowfin (ahi) tuna steak, cut into 1/4 inch diced
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste or 1 pound spicy tuna pokē
- 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
- 1/4 cup homemade or prepared mayonnaise (optional when using poke)
- 1 teaspoon chili paste (optional when using poke)
- 3 Japanese/English(usually wrapped in plastic) or kirby cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or thick sour cream (optional, see Scott’s Notes)
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, chives, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Or use the tuna pokē and add the chives. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Mix the mayonnaise and chili paste in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate. (Optional if using poke)
Using a mandolin, slice the cucumbers lengthwise as thinly as possible into approximately 5-inch lengths. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the tuna tartar on one end of the cucumber slice. Roll up. The cucumber, when very thinly sliced, will stick together and stay rolled without a toothpick. Continue making rolls with the remaining ingredients.
Using a small spoon top each roll with a small dollop of the mayonnaise and a sprinkling of the toasted sesame seeds.
Or if you’re using pokē, you can omit this and dollop the top of each with crème fraîche, then top with the sesame seeds. You can do both if you want.
Notes
If you live in Hawaii or have access to it locally, you can buy spicy tuna poke instead of making the above. I then add the chopped chives to the pokē. I also sometimes make cucumber cups instead of the slices. Choose thin cucumbers, peel or party peel them, slice them into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces and hollow out part of the center to make a cup. When I use pokē I omit the mayonnaise and top them with a little crème fraîche. When I use the slices as in the picture above, I usually have to use toothpicks to hold them together. Don’t make these too far in advance either, they tend to get juicy.