TUNA TARTAR WITH FENNEL AND GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE

Tuna Tartar With Fennel And Green Olive Tapenade image

Provided by Moira Hodgson

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 23

2 ounces green picholine olives, pitted
1 anchovy
1 teaspoon small capers
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon toasted anise seed
4 tablespoons olive oil
Water to thin as needed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 ounces very fresh sushi-grade tuna
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced chives
Tabasco sauce to taste
1 bulb fennel with sprigs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/3 to 1/2 cup walnut oil
Sliced green picholine olives
Cracked pepper
Minced chives and fennel sprigs

Steps:

Puree the olives, anchovy and capers in a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice. While the machine is running, add oil and water and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Force through a fine strainer and set aside.
Dice the tuna in eighth-of-an-inch cubes with a very sharp knife (to keep the knife clean, rub it on a lightly oiled towel every so often). With a spoon, mix the diced tuna with the lemon peel, oil, soy sauce and chives. Add a dash of Tabasco and season to taste with salt and pepper. This can be prepared up to an hour in advance.
Wash the fennel, pull apart the bulb and dice the pieces. Combine the lemon juice, sherry vinegar, ground coriander seeds, shallots and walnut oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and dress the fennel with this mixture.
On four individual plates, place a serving of fennel in the middle and top with seasoned tuna. Spoon a little of the tapenade on each plate and on the tuna. Garnish with olives, cracked pepper, chives and fennel sprigs.