The Last Taste of Summer: Spicy Cilantro Coconut Bluefin Crudo

There’s a particular kind of dish that only makes sense in the last stretch of August… when the tomatoes are still coming in heavy, the evenings finally cool off just enough to eat outside, and you want something that feels like a celebration without turning on the oven. This crudo is that dish for me.

It started, like a lot of my favorite recipes do, as an accident of what was left in the fridge. A half bunch of cilantro on its way out. A container of coconut milk from a curry two nights before. A jalapeño rolling around the crisper drawer. And a piece of bluefin tuna my father in law brought home from a fishing trip, telling myself I’d “figure something out.” What I figured out has become one of the dishes I make on repeat every September….bright, cold, a little fiery, and dressed up just enough to feel special.

Why You Should Make This?

Because it takes 20 minutes and looks like it took an hour. Because it’s the kind of first course that makes people go quiet for a second when you set it down. Because raw fish at home is far less intimidating than people think, once you know what to look for. And because there’s something genuinely satisfying about a dish this vibrant, the pale green sauce, the ruby slices of tuna, the confetti of jalapeño and lime zest on top that requires almost no cooking skill, just good ingredients and a little bit of patience with your knife.

This is a dish for the end of a warm night. Cold white wine, bare feet, something citrusy playing in the background. Make it for a dinner party and you will be asked for the recipe before the plates are cleared.

Tips for Getting It Right

• Buy sushi-grade, and ask. Always buy bluefin tuna labeled ‘sushi’ or ‘sashimi-grade,’ ideally the same day you’re serving it, and don’t be shy about asking your fishmonger when it came in. This is one dish where the quality of a single ingredient makes or breaks the whole plate.

• Keep everything cold. Chill your plates, keep the tuna in the fridge until the moment you slice it, and work quickly. A crudo that’s even slightly warm loses its silky texture. Chill the fish in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to firm up the flesh for beautiful cuts.

• Slice against the grain, thin. You want translucent, almost see-through slices, thin enough that the sauce shows through underneath. A very sharp knife matters more than a fancy one here.

• Taste your sauce before you plate. Coconut milk brands vary in sweetness, and jalapeños vary wildly in heat. Blend the sauce, taste, and adjust the honey or lime before it ever touches the fish.

• Don’t overdress. The beauty of crudo is restraint. A drizzle of olive oil, a few flakes of Maldon salt, and let the ingredients do the talkin. The garnish is more for texture vs.flavor.

• Serve immediately. This isn’t a make-ahead dish. The sauce can be made a few hours in advance and chilled, but the fish should be sliced and plated right before it hits the table.

Recipe

For the Spicy Cilantro Coconut Sauce

1 cup cilantro (leaves and tender stems)

1 cup spinach

½ cup canned coconut milk, full fat

1 jalapeño, (deseeded, or light seeds for heat preference)

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons honey

1 small garlic clove, minced

¾ teaspoon salt

For the Crudo

400g sushi-grade bluefin tuna, sliced thin

½ jalapeño, thinly sliced (garnish)

Cilantro microgreens, for topping (garnish)

Zest of 1 lime, for topping (garnish)

Que Pique Chili, a few squirts to finish

Olive oil, for drizzling

Maldon flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

• Make the sauce. Blanch and shock the greens to bring out a bold green color. Boil water and drop the greens in for 15-30 seconds, and using a slotted spoon drop the greens in an ice bath too cool off. Once cool, let them dry on a paper towel. In a blender, combine the cilantro, spinach, coconut milk, deseeded jalapeño, lime juice, honey, minced garlic, and salt. Blend until completely smooth and silky, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust: a touch more honey to round it out, more lime for brightness, or more salt if it needs it. Chill the sauce in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

• Slice the tuna. Using a very sharp knife, slice the bluefin tuna against the grain into thin, almost translucent pieces.

• Plate. Spoon a generous pool of the chilled cilantro-coconut sauce onto each chilled plate, swirling to cover the base. Arrange the sliced tuna over the sauce in a single layer.

• Top. Scatter the thinly sliced jalapeño over the tuna, followed by the cilantro microgreens and fresh lime zest. Squirt a few dots of que pique chili across the plate.

• Finish. Drizzle generously with good olive oil, then finish with a scattering of Maldon flaky sea salt.

• Serve immediately, with a cold glass of white wine or crisp cold sparkling water on the side.