Tuna Tataki (キハダ鮪のたたき) is a yellowfin/ahi tuna lightly seared and served rare with a citrus-based soy sauce. It’s very easy and quick to prepare, and it is a light yet flavorful appetizer to start a meal.
Watch How to Make Tuna Tataki
Pan-seared sashimi-grade tuna drizzled in a refreshing ginger ponzu sauce, sprinkle with white sesame seeds. You may wonder what “tataki (たたき)” means. The literal translation of tataki is “pounded” in Japanese which doesn’t really anything have to do with searing. There are a few theories for the origin of the name based on different ways of preparing fish (or meat) in Japanese cuisine. The first one is when you lightly sear the fish over a hot flame or in a pan and briefly marinate in the citrus-based sauce, you would gently “pound” the fish with fingers with marinade. The other theory says the word comes from the pounding of the fish with the knife when you sprinkle salt on the fish prior to cooking or pounding the fish with grated ginger or green onions to enhance the flavor.
For the sauce, there are several variations for the tuna tataki recipe. The most common sauce is simple citrus base soy sauce with choices of shiso leaves, green onion, and grated ginger/garlic/daikon. I hope you enjoy making Tuna Tataki!
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