NEWSLETTER #4

Excerpt From The First Newsletter

In the absence of entertaining, I have decided to embark on a winter journey of cataloging, cooking and posting all of my favorite recipes in one location. Which lead me to build a new website Chapman House, you know like everyone else in the world is doing right now. And since I was already traveling down the rabbit hole I thought it would be fun to make a video of the recipes and house them on a little platform known as YouTube. If I had know that it takes about 15 hours to make a 5 minute video I probably wouldn’t have committed but now I am in it and it is really fun!

SPICY TUNA TARTARE RECIPE

On our way home from Florida last week we decided to land in Savannah and stay there for a few days while Michigan warmed up. It was the perfect choice. Savannah is such a joy to explore when it is 55 and sunny. On Sunday we decided to split up so that Randy could go to an airplane museum. I stopped feeling obligated to go to airplane museums about 5 years ago. Honestly, they all look the same to me.

On my solo adventure, I walked to the Old Savannah City Mission to see if I could find a hand beater like the one my grandmother had when I was little.  I navigated the two mile walk down Bull Street and I passed The Vault Kitchen and Market, a charming restaurant with outdoor seating (a covid-time bonus) and decided I would treat myself to a delicacy on my way back from the thrift store, which, as it turns out, was not open on Sunday. 

You know how sometimes the greatest gifts come when you least expect them.  That is what happened to me when I lifted fork to mouth and a taste explosion snapped me into the present. Then I took another bite.  I hadn’t imagined it.  This was flipping awesome…I had ordered the Spicy Tuna Tartare. I sipped my wine and started to breakdown the dish.  First, there was the crispy crab that lay atop the tuna and avocado mixture.  Yes, they fried tiny strips of crab. A brilliant and tedious detail.  The tuna and avocado was cut into larger pieces than a usual tuna appetizer. The spicy mayo included a dreamy little detail of masago (roe of capelin - had to look it up). The tuna was perched on a verdant bed of seaweed which was dressed simply.  The combination was a treat that I am trying to duplicate with this recipe. If you would rather watch the video on YouTube click here.

As an aside, when you look at the menu from Vault the seaweed is not listed as part of the Spicy Tuna Tartare. It is however listed under Ahi Tuna Salad.  I still wonder if the seaweed is normally served with both or if there was a wonderful mix-up in the kitchen that day.  

SPICY TUNA TARTARE RECIPE

Appetizer for 4 

INGREDIENTS 

Tuna Mixture

½ pound Tuna Steak cut into ½” cubes (rinse and pat try before cutting)

1 Avocado cut into ½ “ cubes

2 Scallions white and green parts thinly sliced

½ teaspoon Sesame Seeds

1 teaspoon masago or other small roe from fish (this dish will still be amazing if you don’t have roe on hand)

Spicy Mayonaise

¼ cup Mayonnaise (or mayo alternative)

1 Tablespoon Siracha

1 teaspoon Lime Juice

Crispy Crab Topping

2 Tablespoons or approximately 18 grams of crab leg meat (not knuckle)

3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil

Seaweed Salad

1 Cup pre-made seaweed salad from grocery store

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all of the ingredients from Tuna Mixture in a medium size bowl.

2. Add ½ of the Spicy Mayonnaise and mix tenderly with a rubber scrapper. Once the mayonnaise is mixed, decide if you would like it creamier. If so, add more mayonnaise.

3. For the Crispy Crab Topping heat 3 Tablespoons of avocado oil in a pan over medium high heat. When the oil reaches 350 degrees add the crab turning as needed - cook for 2 minutes. Place on a paper towel or cooling rack,

4. To serve: Place a biscuit cutter in the middle of an appetizer plate. Scoop the seaweed salad into the circle and press it gently until it is about ½” thick. Slowly lift the biscuit cutter to reveal a perfect edge on the seaweed. Using a small spoon scoop the tuna mixture on the the seaweed. Finish the dish by placing a portion of the Crispy Crab Topping on top of the tuna and serve.

NOTES

• You may use frozen tuna steak - thaw overnight in fridge or quick thaw by placing the tuna, still in its plastic package, in a bowl that has been placed in a sink with cold water running. Let water run over tuna for about 25 minutes to thaw.  

• Using a very sharp knife cut the tuna into ½” cubes avoid any large white connective tissue which may be chewy

• I was recently witnessed a friend peeling an avocado then trying to hold it as she sliced the flesh off the pit. She still had all of her fingers when she was finished but just barely. Soooo I am not trying to talk down to you when I say:

To Cut an Avocado:

Cut the avocado lengthwise. Using a sharp chef's knife, slice through the avocado lengthwise until you feel the knife hit the pit. Then, holding the knife still, rotate the avocado, to make a cut all around the pit. Put the knife down and twist the two halves apart. 

Remove the pit. Aim your knife at the pit and whack into it, you have to use enough force that the knife is stuck inside the pit. Then twist the knife and tada! The pit is free. To get the pit off your knife use the side of a bowl or the edge of your sink. If you thought that was fun just wait for the next part. 

Dice the avocado. Hold the avocado while you score the flesh with a knife (don’t cut through the skin) lengthwise then cut widthwise making cubes. To release the cubes from the avocado skin use a spoon to scoop out. Amazing, right?

• Regarding the crispy crab topping, you may use meat from a frozen crab leg that you have thawed. It is okay if the crab meat was cooked before it was frozen.  I have tried to make the crispy crab topping with canned crab meat and it just wasn’t as satisfying.  The crab is pretty delicate once it is in the pan.  I found that using a fork was the best way to turn it since there isn’t very much oil in the pan. 

Thai Rice Noodle Salad

Spicy Hot Cocoa

CHAPMAN HOUSE