Learn how to make this ultrafresh Mexican dish, paired with Kennedy Cellars' Pinot Grigio.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients

  • 2 jalapeños (1 for roasting and 1 raw, roughly chopped)
  • 1/2 cup small-diced heirloom tomatoes
  • 1 cup peeled, seeded, small-diced English cucumber
  • 1/4 cup small-diced red onion
  • 1/4 cup seeded, small-diced red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup cilantro stems and leaves, roughly chopped, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped leaves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes), plus 1 teaspoon zest
  • 2 teaspoons salt, plus more
  • 4 to 5 turns freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound sashimi-grade center-cut tuna
  • 1 tablespoon large-flake, delicate sea salt, such as Murray River

Directions

  1. Using long, heatproof tongs, place 1 whole jalapeño on a gas burner or a grill, and set over medium heat. Cook, turning occasionally, until well-charred on all sides. Place pepper in a heatproof bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit 30 minutes to loosen skin. Wearing plastic food-prep gloves, transfer pepper to a cutting board. Trim the stem and gently rub to remove the skin. Remove the seeds, and small-dice the roasted pepper. Taste a very small piece; depending on your preference for heat, you may add more or less to the garnish.
  2. To create the garnish, combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup cucumber, onion, red pepper, 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro leaves only, mint leaves, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add roasted jalapeño to taste. Let the garnish marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
  3. Taste the raw jalapeño to gauge heat. To create the sauce, in a blender, combine remaining 1/2 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup cilantro stems and leaves, remaining 1/4 cup lime juice, raw jalapeño to taste, scallions and 3/4 cup ice water. Puree on high speed until smooth. Transfer to the refrigerator if hot. When cool, add olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and lime zest, stirring to combine. Add salt to taste.
  4. Remove tuna from refrigerator. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices. Place 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of sauce on each of four chilled small, rimmed plates, making sure that the sauce won’t submerge the tuna, and divide the tuna slices equally among the sauced plates. Sprinkle each slice with a pinch of sea salt and top with the garnish. Serve immediately.

Wine Pairing

Kennedy Cellars Pinot Grigio
Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this wine was gently fined and filtered to improve the clarity of the wine prior to bottling. Minimal intervention was involved to preserve bright fruit notes of lemon, underripe peach and subtle green apple.

Available June 1, 2022 in the Kennedy Cellars' tasting room.

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