This dish is clean. Fresh tuna, crisp cucumber, and sweet tomato juice tied together with the heat and brightness of BLAK ELDUR. It’s the kind of food that wakes up your mouth. LIKE I DID WITH YOUR MUM the other night.

Serves: 2

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: None

Ingredients

• 200 g sashimi-grade tuna, diced into 1 cm cubes

• ½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded, finely diced

• 80 ml tomato juice (fresh or good-quality bottled)

• 2 tbsp BLAK ELDUR

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1 spring onion, thinly sliced

• ½ red chilli, finely sliced

• Small bunch coriander leaves

• Lime wedges, to serve

Method

Mix BLAK ELDUR, tomato juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Whisk until smooth. Taste it. You should get heat first, then sweet, salt, and acid in balance.

Keep it cold until the last minute. Dice evenly, pat dry, and chill.

In a cold bowl, toss the tuna and cucumber with most of the dressing. Mix lightly so the tuna stays whole.

Spoon onto a chilled plate. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top. Scatter with sesame seeds, spring onion, chilli, and coriander.

Squeeze lime over just before eating. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Notes

• Salt the cucumber for 10 minutes before mixing. It removes water and makes it crunch.

• Use cold bowls and plates. It keeps the fish fresh and clean on the tongue.

• Tomato juice adds body and depth to the sauce, bridging the sweetness of BLAK ELDUR with the savoury umami of the tuna.

• Always use sushi-grade fish and a sharp knife. Dull knives bruise flesh.

• Drink pairing ; crisp lager, dry Riesling, or chilled sake.