Ahi Tuna Seviche with Avocado Espuma

(Photo by Heath Robbins, styling by Catrine Kelty)

"Seviche has to be mixed and eaten within five to 10 minutes," says Carlos Rodriguez, chef at Orinoco in the South End (and, soon, in Brookline Village, too). For this dish, he recommends so-called sushi-grade tuna, high-quality fish that is meant to be eaten raw. And it's not an ingredient a home cook cannot find, he says. Sushi-grade fish, along with rocoto red pepper paste, is sold in supermarkets. Serve this dish with Wakame Seaweed salad, available at specialty grocers.

CHEF'S RECIPE

AHI TUNA SEVICHE WITH AVOCADO ESPUMA
SERVES 4

FOR THE ESPUMA
2 jalapeno peppers
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pit removed
1 teaspoon lime juice
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup whipping cream

FOR THE SEVICHE
1 cup lime juice
1/2 cup mandarin juice
6 tablespoons of rocoto red pepper paste
1/4 red bell pepper, finely diced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 pound sushi-grade tuna

In a blender or food processor, combine the jalapenos, cilantro, avocados, and lime juice and puree. Season with salt. Force the mixture through a sieve into a medium bowl and set aside. In another medium bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the cream into the jalapeno avocado mixture and set aside.

Prepare the seviche just before serving it. In a medium bowl, mix the lime juice, mandarin juice, rocoto paste, red bell pepper, and soy sauce. Cut the tuna into thin slices and let it sit in the sauce for 1 minute.

To serve, spoon a mound of avocado espuma onto 4 plates and place 1/4 of the tuna on top of each. Baste the tuna with some of the seviche sauce. Serve immediately.

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