Maria Cowan-York made this delectable raw tuna salad at her home in Rarotonga. It's a terrific example of bright local ingredients being given epicurean treatment: beautiful Pacific tuna, a dressing made with ever-available pawpaw seeds, and radishes and green capsicums from Maria's father's farm. Pawpaw seeds give the dressing a pleasant zing and are reputedly loaded with carpaine, a powerful antioxidant. Pacific capsicums don't seem to have the same sharpness as those from colder climes; they are almost appley. Taste your capsicum before adding to this recipe _ you may be better off with yellow capsicum, or a blend of green capsicum and diced apple. Maria advises against substituting lemon or lime juice for the vinegar in the dressing, as citrus tends to turn the tuna opaque.
Ingredients
| 1 Tbsp | Minced ginger |
| 2 Tbsp | Pawpaw seeds |
| 2 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 2 Tbsp | Malt vinegar |
| 1 Tbsp | Wholegrain mustard |
| 1 Tbsp | Brown sugar |
| 500 g | Tuna, sushi quality, cut into 1cm pieces (Main) |
| 6 | Radishes, trimmed and sliced thinly |
| 1 | Green capsicum, cut into 5cm sticks |
| ¼ cup | Fresh coriander |
| 1 to taste | Salt & freshly ground pepper |
| 1 | Pawpaw, quarters to serve |
Directions
- Place the ginger, pawpaw seeds, vinegar, olive oil, mustard and sugar in a blender and blend to combine.
- In the chilled mixing bowl, place the tuna, radishes, capsicum, coriander, salt and pepper.
- Combine, dress with the pawpaw seed dressing and serve on pawpaw quarters.
