Crudo e Nudo's Tuna Tartare Toast
For tuna tartare, Crudo E Nudo chef-owner Brian Bornemann utilizes shrimp stock, onion confit and white soy sauce, which give it rich umami flavor. You can make the stock and confit in advance. The tartare tops slices of toasted country loaf and is garnished with fragrant yuzu oil, black sesame and scallions. This is no ordinary toast.
You will have more onion confit than you will need for this recipe. Reserve the confit for another use in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Note: Bornemann uses O-Med yuzu olive oil, available at Surfas and other specialty markets and online. Alternatively, you can mix 1 tablespoon good olive oil with ¼ teaspoon yuzu juice. White soy sauce is available at select Japanese and specialty markets and online.
Tuna Tartare Toast
Make the onion confit: Put the onions in a small saucepan with the salt and bay leaves. Add the oil; it should come at least a quarter up the sides of the pan. Simmer on low heat, stirring often and making sure the onions do not take on any color, until the onions are totally soft and sweet, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat, set aside and cool onions in the oil at room temperature.
Make the tuna tartare toast: Cut about half of the tuna into a small dice; “cut” the rest by gently scraping it with the back of a spoon. Transfer the tuna to a small bowl and add the strained onion confit, shrimp stock, white soy sauce and Maldon sea salt.
Gently stir the tuna mix until it is incorporated but don’t over-stir or emulsify the mixture. Set aside.
Heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and toast in the pan until golden on both sides. Using a slotted spoon, spoon half of the tuna mixture onto each slice of toast and top with toasted black sesame seeds, yuzu olive oil, scallion threads and lemon zest.
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