Uchi Miami's Bluefin Akami Crudo

Welcome to another tasty edition of Chefs Share! Each month, we showcase recipes from some of your favorite local restaurants. The best part: You don’t need to be a whiz in the kitchen. No professional restaurant experience is required, and ingredients are readily available at your local supermarket or specialty store.

This month’s recipe comes from Uchi Miami, courtesy of Dina Butterfield, chef de cuisine. The Asian eatery recently opened its first location outside of Texas right here in Wynwood. Known for its nontraditional take on Japanese cuisine, Uchi Miami is already taking the neighborhood by storm with dishes like this bluefin akami crudo.

“Our bluefin akami crudo is served with a pumpkin and flax seed granola and aji amarillo,” said Butterfield. “The dish has a little spice that’s balanced out with the blood orange segments, and the granola gives it a little texture and pairs well with the cilantro oil."

Before getting started on the recipe, make sure to read ahead – there are multiple parts to this dish. Enjoy!

BLUEFIN AKAMI CRUDO

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

For Aji Amarillo Sauce:

·     4 tablespoons aji amarillo paste

·     1 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice, strained

·     1 teaspoon garlic

·     1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

·     8 1/4 ounces fresh orange juice, strained

·     7 3/4 ounces olive oil

·     1/2 cup agave

·     Dash xanthan gum

For Pumpkin Seed Granola:

·     1/3 cup miso paste

·     3 1/2 ounces agave

·     3 3/4 ounces pumpkin seeds, chopped

·     1 1/2 ounces sesame seeds

·     3 3/4 ounces flax seeds

For Cilantro Oil:

·     3 1/2 ounces cilantro

·     5 1/4 ounces extra virgin olive oil

For Final Dish:

·     10 ounces bluefin tuna, sliced

·     Olive oil

·     Salt

·     2 teaspoons lime zest

·     24-28 blood orange segments

·     4 ounces pumpkin granola

·     20 cilantro blossoms

·     6 ounces aji amarillo sauce

·     4 teaspoons cilantro oil

PREPARATION

·     To make the aji amarillo sauce, blend all ingredients in a blender until fully emulsified. If the mixture gets hot when blending, cool it down on an ice bath.

·     To make the pumpkin seed granola, create a glaze by mixing the miso paste and agave in a pot over medium heat until they blend well together, then transfer to a bowl.

·     Add pumpkin, sesame and flax seeds to glaze and mix well.

·     Lay out the mixture on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake in a 325º F oven 7-10 minutes or until toasted; stir every four minutes to cook evenly and avoid burning.

·     Blend cilantro and oil; transfer to a hot pan and bring mixture to a simmer.

·     Quickly cool down in an ice bath, then strain through a coffee filter.

·     To plate the final dish, season tuna with olive oil, salt and lime zest; place on platter.

·     Place blood orange segments in between tuna slices and garnish with pumpkin granola and cilantro blossoms; pool the aji amarillo sauce next to the tuna and finish off with a sprinkling of cilantro oil.