Citrin is located in the same building as chef Josiah Citrin's sister restaurant Mélisse, but the offerings here afford more choice, with a modest prix-fixe alongside à la carte options. Here's how to make Citrin's ahi tuna tartare at home. Presented in partnership with Gaggenau.
Ingredients
Ahi Tuna
- 1 lb sashimi-grade ahi tuna
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced shallots
- 2 tsp minced chives
- Fleur de sel
- 1 knife point of either piment d’espelette or cayenne pepper
Cucumber
- 1 large English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced into small pieces
- ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 knife point of piment d’espelette or cayenne
Avocado mousseline
- 1 medium avocado
- 1 tablespoon crème fraîche
- Juice of ½ lime
- Sea salt
- Piment d’espelette or cayenne
Yuzu vinaigrette
- 2 oz yuzu juice
- 1 oz water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1½ tbsp grapeseed oil
- 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Garnish
- 1 Roma tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced into small pieces
- 1 tsp minced chives
Citrin © Jeff Couch/Citrin
Method
Ahi tuna
- Dice the tuna into small pieces and put into a bowl.
- Add the chives, shallots, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and season to taste with fleur de sel and espelette pepper.
- Toss gently but thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cucumber
- In a small sauce pot, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and water, and bring to a boil.
- Add the diced cucumber.
- Remove from heat and chill in fridge.
Avocado mousseline
- Cut the avocado in half lengthwise.
- Remove the pit and use a spoon to scoop out the avocado, as close to inside the skin as possible.
- In a blender, combine avocado, crème frâiche, lime juice, sea salt, and espelette pepper. Blend until smooth and velvety.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
Yuzu vinaigrette
- Bring the sugar and water to a boil.
- Combine the sugar water and yuzu in a bowl.
- Season with salt and espelette pepper.
- Gradually whisk in the oils to emulsify.
- Transfer to a small container with a tight fitting lid.
Serving
- For each serving, lightly oil a 2-inch ring mold and place it in the middle of a shallow bowl.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the cucumbers (about 2 tablespoons per plate) and put a layer in the center of the ring mold.
- Pack the tartare into the mold up to 1/8” from the top of the mold.
- Spoon the avocado on top of the tuna and, using an offset spatula, evenly spread the avocado.
- Remove the ring mold, clean it, and repeat the process.
- While pulling up the ring mold, you may need to insert a small knife into the center to keep the molded stack from lifting off the plate.
- Garnish each stack with 3 pieces of diced tomato, minced chives, and a little fleur de sel. Shake
the dressing well and spoon 2 tablespoons around each one.
Chef Josiah Citrin
© DYLAN+JENI/Citrin Hospitality
Hero image: Chef Josiah Citrin's ahi tuna tartare
© Citrin Hospitality
Presented in partnership with Gaggenau
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