Tuna sashimi with uni and shiso leaf

I am a big fan of sashimi, but I recently travelled to Japan and the freshness of the seafood there is phenomenal. I had the opportunity to see the fish and tuna market and auction in Sapporo, and it was an experience I will not forget. This is a dish I was asked to cook as part of a fun lunch where we all cooked together. It started with a fun visit to Tokyo's Tsukiji market for ingredients. I could lose myself in this market forever. The lunch was a fabulous afternoon of slow food and numerous dishes, including this one.

In addition, I learned about raw soy sauce, called nama shoyu. The sauce is not pasteurised, which is the last step in the general soy sauce process. The sauce is lighter and more complex; it was a new flavour for me, so I had to bring some home.

The idea was fatty tuna, and here you see the slice of fatty tuna that transitions to red meat, with raw soy for salt and umami, shiso leaf for herb and uni for luxury. I drizzled a temper of black mustard seeds and fennel on top. It was simple and highlighted what I saw and tasted during my two-week trip to Japan, showcasing the best ingredients and simple flavours that highlight the sea, which is such a huge part of Japanese dining.

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Ingredients

Fatty tuna, thinly sliced

Sea urchin or oni

Shiso leaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

raw soy sauce

Lay a leaf on a platter. Top with a slice of tuna.

Heat the oil in a small pot and add the mustard seeds; they will crackle in 10 seconds. Add the fennel seeds and take off the flame. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of the oil over the tuna, making sure to distribute the seeds evenly.

Top with a piece of uni and a generous drizzle of soy sauce. Serve immediately.