Tanuki Miami's Hamachi Tiradito With Agave Sauce

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Chef Jason Acoba

Welcome to another edition of Chefs Share! Each month, we talk to Miami’s top chefs and share recipes from some of your favorite restaurants.

If you’re worried about your skills in the kitchen, don’t be: Although these are restaurant-quality recipes, they don’t require a culinary background – just some basic skills. Expect easy-to-follow instructions and readily available ingredients in each recipe; your local supermarket or specialty store should have everything you need to put together these masterpieces.

Ready to get cooking? This month’s recipe comes from chef Jason Acoba of Tanuki Miami, located at 1080 Alton Rd. on South Beach. Born in the Philippines and raised on the island of Hawaii, Acoba has always had an affinity for cooking and began his journey as a chef by enrolling in the Culinary Institute of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Following his time in Honolulu, Acoba moved to Portland, Ore., where he continued his education at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. After graduating, he quickly made his way into fine dining kitchens, beginning at esteemed chef Masaharu Morimoto’s flagship restaurant, Morimoto, where he worked for six years, both in Philadelphia and Miami.

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(MiamiAndBeaches.com)

The menu at Tanuki Miami features Chinese and Japanese specialties, including sushi and dim sum.

Since his term at Morimoto, Acoba has worked at various esteemed Asian restaurants in Miami, including Makoto Bal Harbour, where he worked as a sous chef and, most recently, Katsuya South Beach. From 2016 to 2020, Acoba served as executive chef of the Miami Beach restaurant where he worked closely with their team on menu development, hiring and special events.

Acoba now leads the kitchen at Tanuki – a modern Asian restaurant serving Chinese and Japanese specialties, including sushi and dim sum. Open seven days a week, the Alton Road eatery offers dinner, brunch and happy hour.

Some highlights on the menu include tuna tataki, char siu pork ribs, shrimp har gow, chicken and pork gyoza, Peking duck and the hamachi tiradito, which is this month’s delicious recipe.

Before you get to work on crafting this dish, remember to read the recipe to avoid any surprises along the way. It includes a protein substitution in case you have trouble finding hamachi. Enjoy!

PREPARATION

• Place jalapeño, yuzu juice, agave and aji amarillo paste in a Vita-Prep mixer or similar and blend well; strain and set aside in fridge.
• Thinly slice yellowtail, place it on a chilled plate, pour sauce over fish and garnish with cilantro and dry miso.