Last week, we had some friends over and I got home really late and didn't have much time to cook. I had been craving raw tuna in some form so I threw this together for an appetizer.

There is a subset of ceviches called "tiraditos" which roughly translates to "little thrown-togethers"-in which you put the lime and the fish together right before eating it, so it doesn't really cure the fish as in standard ceviche. I gave the tuna about an hour with olive oil and a bit of lime to get it started, then added additional lime right before serving. It ends up being a cross between tuna tartare and ceviche, with great flavor and texture.



Tuna Tiradito
This amount serves 8 easily.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound good quality ahi tuna
• about a cup of good quality olive oil
• 3 limes, cut in half
• 1/2 jalapeno (more if you like it spicy), chopped finely
• 1-2 shallots, chopped finely
• 1 ripe avocado, smashed loosely with a fork
• about 1/2 cup chopped chives or scallions
• salt and pepper
• a baguette or 1/2 loaf of crusty bread
  

Method:

• Cut the tuna into small cubes, about 1/2 inch square.
• Put tuna, about 1/2 cup of olive oil, juice of 1 lime, and salt and pepper in a bowl and leave it in the fridge for 30 minutes to and hour. Don't leave it much longer than an hour.
• Meanwhile, slice the bread pretty thinly and place on a pan. If you have a larger loaf, cut each slice into smaller pieces. Broil on both sides quickly so it's toasty and crunchy. If you have a grill you can grill the bread which would be even tastier. You can set the bread aside as it should be room temp for serving.
• When you are ready to serve, take the tuna mixture out of the fridge. Stir in the jalapeno, shallots, avocado, and half of the chives or scallions.
• Add the juice of 2 limes and taste. Add olive oil if too tart and limey.
• To serve, put about 4 pieces of toast on a plate. Make a mound of tuna mixture. Garnish with a drizzle of oil, the remaining chives and a sprinkle of sea salt.