Ahi Tuna Tartare with Ginger

This Ahi Tuna Tartare with Ginger is super fresh and flavorful, with only four ingredients! It's a simple yet elegant hors d'oeuvre or first course for a dinner party. 

My husband and I honeymooned on the island of Huahine in French Polynesia. It was an incredible vacation - soft sand, crystal-clear water, a hut on stilts, and some of the most amazing food I'd ever eaten.

We ate plenty of fresh fish and tropical fruits, all of it delicious. But the dish I remember most was an Ahi Tuna Tartare at a small, charming restaurant in the village. And we had to take a boat to get to the village, which made it even better!

We loved the tartare so much that we went back to that restaurant several times during our week there, just to have it again. It became the inspiration for this Ahi Tuna Tartare recipe.

I’ve kept the recipe in my mind all these years, which was surprisingly easy because I remembered two things very clearly: there were just four ingredients, aside from salt, and the size of the cuts was key.

What made this Tuna Tartare so special?

It was the size of the ginger and onion pieces. They were just the right size to give the tartare a wonderful texture, while adding little bursts of flavor and crunch to every bite.

Ingredient Notes

• fresh Ahi Tuna - For the best quality, get sushi-grade tuna or sashimi-grade tuna - tuna that's specifically labeled for raw consumption, and buy it from a reputable fishmonger or market. Keep it very cold until you're ready to prepare it.
• white onion - Raw white onion is generally sharper, more pungent, and crisper than other onions. It's perfect with the soft texture and sweet flavor of the raw tuna. Substitution: Yellow onion is the best substitution.
• fresh ginger - Don't substitute with powdered ground ginger as it will change the recipe completely. While it's okay to grate the ginger, I encourage you to take the time to cut it into the tiny dice as instructed, since so much of this recipe's appeal is the size of the cuts.
• fresh chives - The chives are mostly for color, but definitely add a delicate onion flavor too. Substitution: Green onions (scallions).

How to Make This Ahi Tuna Tartare with Ginger

- Cut all of the ingredients into a small dice. The onion should be cut into about ⅛-inch dice (not exactly, of course, but the smaller the better). Peel the ginger first, and then dice it as finely as possible. The chives should also be chopped as finely as possible.

* Pro Tip * A sharp knife is essential - not only for the very small dice, but a sharp knife is always safer than a dull one!

- Cut the ahi tuna into a ¼-inch dice or smaller. Then combine all of the ingredients except for the salt.

- Cover with plastic wrap and let the flavors come together in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving.

- Season to taste with salt and serve. Here's How to Season to Taste. (I don't use black pepper in this recipe because I think the ginger gives it just the right kick.)

- Serve with chips, lettuce leaves, wonton crisps, or on a plate!

Serving Suggestions

Ahi Tuna Tartare is lovely served as a plated first course, light lunch, or as bite-sized hors d'oeuvres.

• For a beautiful first course, the ahi tuna mixture is lovely shaped with a biscuit or cookie cutter ring. You can also use a small ramekin and invert it onto a small plate. It's pretty with a few slices of avocado on top, or circling around it. And it's a delicious flavor combination.
• For a more casual and fun first course or light lunch, you can serve it in lettuce cups. I like it with butter lettuce or Little Gem Lettuce.
• It's fantastic on wonton crisps. And for a more relaxed appetizer, you can put the tartare in a separate bowl, and serve it alongside a bowl of chips or crackers.
• You can also make a bowl and serve the tuna tartare over coconut cilantro rice with diced avocado.

Making it Ahead

• Ideally, this should be made a few hours ahead of time, leaving the salt for the last moment. (It should be made and ready at least 20 minutes ahead.)

Variations and Additions

• Spicy tuna version. Add about 2 tablespoons of finely diced jalapeño. (For extra heat, include the seeds.) Alternatively, you can use 1 tablespoon of Sriracha or Chili paste.
• Sesame version. Add about 2 teaspoons of sesame oil to the tartare and sprinkle the top with toasted sesame seeds.
• Extra crunchy version. Finely diced cucumber (without the seeds) is a great way to add more refreshing crunch.
• I think it's incredibly flavorful as is, but if you'd like to, add a drizzle of spicy mayo or a soy sauce.

More Must-Try Ahi Tuna Recipes

The simplicity of this recipe is part of its appeal - especially because people can't believe how flavor-packed it is with just a few fresh ingredients and no sauce!

I hope you love this recipe as much as my family and I do.