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Costa Rican Tuna Carpaccio
The freshest raw fish — Pacific flavours on your dining table.
While travelling through the coastal villages of Guanacaste, in one of many surfer spots I visited during December 2024, I happened upon a bar a little back from the beach where I tasted this wonder — or something close to it. I generally make a habit of asking the staff at any establishment I visit what their favourites are. After all, who knows better than someone who lives their life around the food I might only see and taste once, what the best and worst on the menu are. This was a strong recommendation not only from the staff, but from the locals around me. Such was the strength of this meal that I returned the next day not only to eat it again but to unleash my own Spanish Inquisition on the kind bar manager, who happily talked me through it. I've done my best to recreate, then adapt and evolve it. In Costa Rica there exists a fruit called limón mandarina — a lime-shaped, lime-looking fruit, but when cut open it has a bright orange colour. Unsurprisingly, it's not easy to obtain in my local supermarket here in Lausanne, but a combination of other citrus fruits can hit the bittersweet spot well enough to do the job.
Ingredients
- Tuna (Yellowfin) — 200g per person
- Lemon
- Lime
- Mandarin / satsuma
- Spring onions
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Shaved Parmesan
- Jalapeños (optional)
- Fresh corn tortillas
Preparation
- Place the tuna in the freezer until firm, then thinly slice and cover the plate.
- Season with flaky sea salt.
- Chop the tomatoes, avocado, and spring onions (and the jalapeños, if you want a little kick) and sprinkle over the fish.
- Mix the juice of 2 limes, 1 lemon, and 1 mandarin in a jar and pour over the tuna until covered, but not bathing.
- Add a generous amount of quality olive oil, then coarsely grate a little aged Parmesan over the top.
- Cut the fresh tortillas into eighths, shallow-fry the pieces in hot oil, then serve on the side.