Why are there always so many types of carpaccio and tartar on my menus? I love these appetizers because they are very simple and delicious at the same time. The main thing in them is the impeccable freshness of products.
In Italy, a country of great art, even the simplest dishes are creatively prepared. And behind the recipes of many of them there is a legend. But sometimes real stories are more interesting than fantasy. So, in the middle of the last century, a local countess began to visit a famous Venetian restaurant regularly: she really liked his cuisine. Once she complained to the owner of the establishment, Giuseppe Cipriani, about her anemia, which she had suffered for many years. And the resourceful owner created a new dish specially for the eminent client from the thinnest pieces of fresh meat. At that time, an exhibition of the famous Renaissance artist Vittore Carpaccio was held in Venice – and Cipriani named his dish after the great Venetian. Since then, in every Italian restaurant anywhere in the world you can try this wonderful appetizer.
While working in Russia, I learned a more prosaic (but no less curious) legend about the creation of another raw meat dish – tartare (by the way, nothing to do with the abyss Tartarus from Greek mythology!). Its name comes, oddly enough, from the word “Tatar”. The fact is that it was the Tatar warriors who came up with an ingenious way to transport meat on campaigns. The rider wrapped it up and put it under the horse’s saddle. On the way, under the weight of his body, the meat “beat back” and became incredibly tender.
How do we prepare these snacks now? There are two ways: either thinly slice the raw meat, or carefully beat it to the state of “cloth” – so that it becomes almost transparent! It may be embarrassing for some that this meat has not been cooked, but I love carpaccio and tartare precisely for this. I am sure that for our body raw food is not only natural, but even useful. After all, our ancestors originally ate only it. Japanese cuisine is one of the most traditional – almost all of it consists of different varieties of raw fish! But since this is not accepted in Russian culinary culture, I always add sauces, vegetables, greens to carpaccio and tartare. Fresh tomatoes, lettuce and arugula go well with meat tartare, and the taste of fish carpaccio amazingly complements lemon juice.
Red tuna tartare
For 4 persons
Prepare: 15 minutes
Preparation: 40 minutes
- 600 g red tuna
- 4 large tomatoes
- thin bunch of green onions
- several leaves of basil
- 4 Art. l. olive oil
- salt and pepper
For caramelized onions:
- 6 red onions
- 8 Art. l. Sahara
- one . glasses of red wine
- 4 Art. l. olive oil
Preparation
Sauté thinly sliced red onion in olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add sugar, red wine and simmer for another 30 minutes. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds, cut the flesh into small cubes. Chop green onions. Finely chop raw tuna meat, carefully combine with tomatoes and green onions, salt, pepper, season with olive oil. Place a small nest of caramelized onions in the middle of each plate, place a ball of tartare on top and garnish with a basil leaf.
Assorted fish carpaccio
For 4 persons
Prepare: 15 minutes
Preparation: 15 minutes
- 200 g sea bass fillet
- 200 g salmon fillets
- 200 g red tuna
- 8 tiger prawns
- 4 large tomatoes
- 1 апельсин
- 4 Art. l. olive oil
- several leaves of basil
- a small bunch of dill
- 4 stalk of green onion
- 8 strawberries
- lettuce leaves (to taste)
- 1 lemon or lime
- salt and pepper
Preparation
With a sharp knife, cut the fish (across the fibers) into the thinnest plates. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds, cut the flesh into small cubes. Chop the dill, basil and green onion. Place lettuce leaves in the middle of each plate, arrange fish slices and peeled shrimp in a circle. Salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salmon with dill and add a few drops of orange juice; put the tomato and basil on the sea bass; add onion to tuna, and strawberries, tomato and basil to shrimp. Drizzle the carpaccio with lemon or lime juice.