Tuna Sashimi Tacos & Albariño
The perfect 'first day of Spring' appy (or lunch/snack/dinner) and wine pairing!
Sashimi lovers, you need to try these! They take a little bit of time to prep (if you decide to fry the corn tortillas, which I highly highly recommend) but they are SO worth it! I made these for my little International Women’s Day lunch and the girls were just raving about them.
The Wine Pairing
I paired these tasty lil tacos with an Albariño from Rias Biaxas, Spain that I have loved for years: The Santiago Ruiz Albariño. This was one of the first Albariño’s I tried and it’s still one of the best I’ve tried!
What is Albariño?
Albariño (ahl-bah-REE-nyo) from Rías Baixas, Spain, is the definition of a seafood-friendly white wine. It’s known for its bright acidity, fresh fruit flavours, and salty minerality. Albariño is the name of the grape, and in Rias Baixas, these grapes grows in granite-rich soils right next to the Altantic Ocean. The mineral-rich soil and salty air contribute to this wine’s stunning minerality and salty, almost briny finish, which is what makes it so unqiue and just perfect with seafood.
The The Santiago Ruiz Albariño is a classic expression of Rías Baixas Albariño with it’s freshness and minerality. It’s made from mostly Albariño, but is blended with other native grapes like Loureiro and Treixadura, which gives it a richer mouthfeel to balance the crisp acidity, and amps up the complexity with notes of citrus oil, juicy white peach, spring flowers, wet stone, and of course, saline!
Why does this pairing work?
The Santiago Ruiz Albariño is basically made for these tuna sashimi tacos. Its fresh citrus, crisp acidity, and salty finish perfectly match the texture and flavour of the sashimi and balance out the richness from the creamy avocados and fried corn tortillas. Add a squeeze of lime, and you’ve got the ultimate refreshing, flavour-packed pairing that everyone will love!
REPICE: Tuna Sashimi Tacos
Servings: 8 tacos
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
Marinated Tuna
10oz Sushi grade tuna
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot honey (*microwave for 15-20 seconds)
Avocados
2 large, ripe avocados
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
1-2 teaspoons furikake rice seasoning
Flaked sea salt to taste
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Fried corn tortillas
6 small (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 cup of neutral frying oil (e.g., avocado, grape seed, or vegetable oil)
Salt
Spicy mayo
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp garlic chili sauce
Additional toppings
Arugula microgreens (or microgreens of choice)
Fresh lime juice
Furikake rice seasoning
Flaked sea salt
Directions
Prepare Tuna Sashimi
Slice tuna into small cubes and place in a shallow bowl.
Add hot honey to a small to medium microwave safe bowl and microwave for 15-20 seconds. To the same bowl, add rice vinegar, soy sauce, and lemon juice and mix until combined.
Spoon mixture over the tuna, then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Fry Tortillas
Pour about 1/2 inch to 1 inch of neutral frying oil into a frying skillet (a heavy bottomed cast iron pan works great for this) and heat to 350 degrees F. If you don’t have an oil thermometer, throw a small piece of tortilla into the oil. You’ll know it’s ready when it sizzles right away. If it only sizzles a bit and starts to sink, wait another couple of minutes. (NOTE: The smoke-point for grape seed oil is 420 F and avocado oil is 520 F, which are both significantly higher than the recommended 350 F. If the oil starts to smoke that means it’s too hot, so remove it from direct heat for a bit and/or reduce the heat).
Using tongs, place one tortilla in the oil at a time. Fry for about 20-30 seconds until slightly puffy. Flip with tongs and fry for another 30–45 seconds until the tortilla puffs up and turns golden brown.
Remove fried tortilla from the oil using tongs and place on a sheet of paper towel to soak up the oil. Season with salt while warm.
Prepare Avocado and Spicy Mayo
Chop avocado into cubes and place in a medium-size mixing bowl. Add rice vinegar, lime juice, furikake rice seasoning, flaked sea salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss to combine.
Whisk together mayonnaise and chili garlic sauce to make spicy mayo.
Assemble Tacos
Spread spicy mayo onto the fried tortilla. Top with microgreens, followed by avocado mixture, then tuna sashimi. Season with lime juice, furikake seasoning, and flaked sea salt.
ENJOY and let me know what you think!
xx Steph
These look DELISH.