Tuna Sashimi Pizza on Scallion Pancakes

June 17 marks my one month blogiversary. How has it only been one month? I love writing about my culinary adventures and have come to appreciate how deeply connected people are to the foods they eat. Every dish is a story, an emotion, a memory. I especially enjoy reliving my childhood through cooking. Earlier this week, for example, I made tuna sashimi pizza, a treasured dish from my upbringing at the Jersey Shore.

I was first introduced to tuna pizza at Yumi, one of my favorite Japanese restaurants from back home. My experiences there have largely influenced my current eating habits - lots of fish and sushi. Yes, it's true. Yumi is where I had my metamorphosis from young boy to sushi crazed, Juicy-Couture-wearing Jewish American Pri...err, I mean man...My second Bar Mitzvah, so to speak. In other words, Yumi's tuna pizza is basically a gateway food that has led me down a dangerous gastronomical path (I offer the photos below into evidence: Omakase at Sushi Yasuda).


I remember Sunday night family dinners at Yumi. We'd order one tuna pizza "for the table" and fought to the death over the last pieces. Over time, we needed two, then three...four...orders of tuna pizza "for the table." Eventually, we realized we needed a pizza for each of us. "Six orders of tuna pizza, please...for the table..." Totally reasonable. What made this appetizer so addicting was the warm, flaky scallion pancake crust topped with sliced tuna sashimi and drizzled with several Japanese sauces.

I recreated the dish by modifying chef Morimoto's signature tuna pizza recipe. The tuna is topped with cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion, and anchovy aioli. I substituted the original tortilla base with a homemade scallion pancake crust. I admittedly dislike baking...probably because my mom demonized it growing up (she hated a messy kitchen)...but this is worth it! Also, if you can find quail eggs, top the pizza with a couple of egg yolks.


Tips/Tricks to Making the Perfect Tuna Sashimi Pizza

• Make the dough first and do your other prep (mise en place) as the dough rests
• All prep should be done prior to cooking the pancakes! It's best to serve the pancakes warm! 
• Refer to my previous post on sashimi grade fish 
• I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil for cooking as it's healthier 
• Olive oil has a low smoke point, so watch closely. Adjust temp as needed.
• Before adding oil to the pan, heat the pan on high heat until hot. Then pour in the oil and heat till shimmering (should take just a few seconds). Add pancake immediately.
• Drizzle the aioli onto pizza using a pasty bag or a makeshift one made from plastic zip bags with a tiny piece of corner cut off .
• Try new toppings/sauce combos. Salmon pizza sounds amazing. So does adding Sriracha!
• If you do not have a food processor for aioli, you can (theoretically) use an old fashion whisk.
• As with the food processor, whisk mixture rigorously while slowly pouring in oil. Continue till thickened.  
• Find quail eggs! And get extra because they break. 
• To open, try removing the top part of the shell with a serrated knife.
• Pour egg onto hand. Remove whites. Place each yolk in its own small prep bowl.

Tuna Sashimi Pizza Ingredients: 

• Scallion pancakes (recipe below)
• 18-20 ounces sashimi grade tuna, thinly sliced (slice against the grain)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced
• Red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• Cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise (about 1/2 cup)
• Kalamata olives, pitted and thickly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
• Anchovy aioli (recipe follows)
• Soy sauce 
• Cilantro, sprouts, or microgreens for garnish
• Quail eggs, yolks only (optional as topping)

Serves 4 as an entree or 8 as appetizers. (Recipe makes 4 pizzas)

Scallion Pancake Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water
• Enough olive oil for frying (may use vegetable oil if concerned about smoke) and for brushing
• Kosher salt
• 1 bunch scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced or chopped

Anchovy Aioli Ingredients: 

• 2 egg yolks (chicken eggs)
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of anchovy paste
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tuna Sashimi Pizza on Scallion Pancakes Recipe:

For the Scallion Pancakes:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Mix the flour with water until a smooth dough is formed. Kneed the dough until it's very elastic (the dough should bounce back quickly when poked). Coat the dough ball lightly with olive oil, cover with a damp towel, and allow to rest while you prep the rest of the meal (or minimum of 30 minutes).

Divide the dough into two equal parts. Follow the steps below for each of the dough halves.

Roll out one of the dough halves into a thin rectangle (roughly 9 x 12 inches). Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with scallions and a generous amount of kosher salt.

Starting from the long end, tightly roll the dough to form a long log. Cut the log into two equal parts. Coil each half around itself to form dough bundles. Rest for at least 15 minutes. Be sure the aioli is made and pizza toppings prepped before moving on to the final step.

Take one of the rested dough bundles and flatten it with your hands or a rolling pin into a round, flat pancake about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. Place a 10 inch frying pan on high heat. Once pan is hot, add enough oil (olive vs vegetable) to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers (should happen quickly), immediately throw in a pancake. Allow each side to cook for about 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you make the other pancakes.

For the Anchovy Aioli:
Combine egg yolks, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, anchovy paste, and soy sauce into a food processor with an emulsifying blade.

With the machine running, slowly pour olive oil through the feed tube. The ingredients should thicken into a mayonnaise-like consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag (or makeshift version).

For the Tuna Pizza: (Assemble immediately prior to serving)

Take a scallion pancake and cover with sliced tuna. Add jalapeño, olives, onions, and tomatoes to taste. Drizzle generously with the anchovy aioli, a pinch of kosher salt, and a few dashes of soy sauce. Garnish with the cilantro or microgreens. Optional, but highly recommended: Carefully pour quail egg yolks over the pizza. Voilà!  

Salmon Tartare

With 80 hour work weeks and only 4 off days per month, dating while in residency is seriously tough! Certain things make dating in residency even harder...I'm guilty of all of them...
1) Dating another resident: ✓ 
2) Specifically dating a surgery resident: ✓
3) Long distance with said surgery resident: ✓

So...when it comes to date night (which only happens once per month), I do not mess around. At baseline, I have a tendency to go a little (fine, a lot) overboard with things (I blame you, Ina Garten). Needless to say, I bring it to a new level of mashugana when it comes to the whole romantic cooking thing.

I constructed this salmon tartare recipe earlier this year when planning a special Valentine's Day dinner (or more accurately, a January 23rd close-enough-day dinner). I had very limited free time that month while on a busy Cardiology rotation, so I planned the main course weeks in advanced. I actually had the butcher deliver a rack of lamb to Emory Hospital, which I stored in the staffroom fridge. I used it to made rosemary dijon crusted rack of lamb served over saffron rice with currants, pistachios and herbs.

Since the main course was on the heavy side, I aimed to make a very simple and refreshing salmon appetizer using very basic ingredients that highlighted the freshness of the fish. (I am highly offended by tartare recipes that mask the delicate salmon flavors with mustards and other pungent sauces, so I avoided any overpowering ingredients). The outcome was a light and rich dish that looked beautiful in my floating martini glasses chilled on ice. It was a memorable night, and the bar is definitely set high for next year...

The dish was so good that I replicated it just a few days later when co-hosting a dinner party with a neighbor. You know a recipe is a hit when guests fight over the last few bits of tartar-ey goodness at the bottom of the bowl. We served the appetizer in the kitchen with champagne and crackers and took turns stirring the risotto that we served with pan seared chilean sea bass as the main course. So much fun!

Four months later, I'm still hot and heavy for this dish, and so are my guests. I made the salmon tartare for my sister and her roommates this past Sunday along with Ramp Pesto and Spring Peas and it definitely got "wows."

Before we get to the recipe, just a quick word on consuming raw fish. The biggest hazard to raw fish consumption are parasites. The term "sushi-grade" gets thrown around often, but its meaning is not well regulated. There is a lot of contradictory and vague information on the internet on this topic.

I interviewed the fishmonger at Fairway Market and Whole Foods about their "sushi-grade" fish and got very different answers.  At Fairway, I was told the "organic" salmon was safe to eat raw. But when I asked about how it was different than the non-organic salmon beside it, he could not answer. The fishmonger at Whole Foods, on the other hand, would only recommend their "deep-frozen" salmon or tuna for raw consumption. He explained that the freezing process kills off parasites, but because the fish is flash frozen at such a low temperature, it preserves the texture, color, and taste of the fish.

While it's very possible that the Fairway salmon was actually "sushi-grade," I felt uncomfortable with the explanation I was given and personally would not eat it raw. It's illogical to assume that fresh or "organic" fish would equates to lower risk for infection. It's true that certain species and types of fish (fresh vs salt water or wild vs farmed) are at varying degrees of risk for infection, but as a non-expert on the topic, I prefer taking extra precautions. So please do your research prior to buying salmon for this recipe.

Tips/Tricks to Make the Perfect Salmon Tartare:

• Mise en place! Do your prep (peel, slice, chop) before starting! It will keep you more organized and will minimize the time the raw fish is out of the refrigerator.  
• Cutting salmon will be easier if it's still slightly frozen
• Taste as you go and adjust the recipe accordingly. This recipe is very delicate, so I'd recommend adding in ingredients gradually until you reach the desired result. Too much sesame oil can ruin a dish. Don't be that guy.
• I prefer generously sized chunks of salmon, but it's definitely a personal preference. The dish will be equally as awesome with smaller pieces of salmon. 

Salmon Tartare Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds sushi grade salmon
• 2.5 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice from about 2-3 limes)
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 5 tablespoons of scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced. Plus extra for garnish (about 2-3 scallions)
• 1 serrano pepper, minced (about 1.5 teaspoons)
• 1/2 habañero pepper, minced (about 3/4 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 inch of whole ginger)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds for garnish (preferably both white and black, if available)  

Serves 5 as an appetizer

Salmon Tartare Recipe:

If the salmon is still frozen, keep the fish in its packaging and run under cold water to partially thaw till just the middle remains slightly firm. Remove from the packaging. If salmon is not frozen, place in freezer for 15-20 minutes prior to handling.

Dice Salmon into Small Chunks (roughly 1/4'' x 1/4'' x 1/2''):
Take the (mostly) thawed salmon and slice lengthwise into 1/4'' sheets using a sharp knife.  For the salmon pieces that are rectangular (i.e have a constant width along the sheet), cut them in half lengthwise to form long strips (about 1/2'' wide). If the salmon sheets are wide at one end and taper off towards the other, start by cutting the sheet crosswise at the wide-narrow transition point. The wider piece is then cut in half lengthwise to form strips, whereas the narrow piece should already be at the desired width. Last, cut each strip crosswise into 1/4'' pieces to form bite-size chunks. Place in a glass or nonreactive bowl.

Add the lime juice, lime zest, scallions, serrano and habañero pepper, ginger, sesame oil, and olive oil to the bowl. Toss gently. Add the salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and cilantro. Again, toss gently. Season to taste. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least one hour.

In the meantime, place the white sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and combine with the black sesame seeds.  Set aside.

When ready to serve, assemble the tartare as individual portions or plate in a decorative platter for sharing. Sprinkle each plate with a generous pinch of sesame seeds and a few chopped scallions for garnish.