A perennial Oscar-night favorite from Wolfgang Puck. Use only the freshest sushi-grade raw tuna for this recipe. A mandoline, available in kitchen stores, is a classic French slicing device that makes it easy to cut waffle-patterned potatoes. If you don’t have a mandoline, use regular thin slices of potato; or, in a pinch, you could even substitute top-quality potato chips. Makes about 2 dozen pieces.
Ingredients
TUNA TARTARE
1/2 pound ahi tuna, finely diced
1/2 cup minced green onions
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Asian toasted sesame oil
Lime juice
POTATO GAUFRETTES
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
1 pound potatoes, waffle-sliced on a mandoline
Salt
Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine tuna and green onions. In a small bowl, stir together ginger, wasabi paste, soy sauce, and sesame oil until the wasabi dissolves. Add them to tuna and stir until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning with lime juice and a little more soy sauce. Cover and set the bowl aside inside another bowl filled with ice to keep the mixture cold.
In a deep, heavy pot or a deep-fryer, preheat the oil to 325 degrees on a deep-frying thermometer. Deep-fry the potato slices until crisp and golden. Remove them with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt.
To serve, place a generous spoonful of the tuna tartare on one end of each potato gaufrette, arranging the pieces on a serving platter. Serve immediately.
