Tuna tartare and mojama with pimento aioli

“This is a great dish for entertaining, as it’s quick to put together but really impressive. Mojama is salt-cured dried tuna and is available from good food stores or delicatessens. You only need a small amount as it packs a big punch.” Shane Delia, Shane Delia’s Moorish Spice Journey

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Pimento aioli

• 235 g (1 cup) aioli
• 1 tbsp harissa
• 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika

Tuna tartare

• 400 g sashimi grade tuna, finely diced
• 95 g (½ cup) Spanish green olives, pitted and finely chopped
• 2 French shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• pinch of sea salt
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil

Brik pastry

• 4 sheets brik pastry (see Note)
• olive oil, for brushing
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 2 lemons, zest finely grated

To serve

• 20 g mojama

Instructions

To make the pimento aioli, combine all the ingredients in a bowl.  

To make the tuna tartare, place all the ingredients in a bowl with a few spoonfuls of pimento aioli or enough to loosely bind, then refrigerate while you make the brik pastry.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Brush the sheets of brik pastry with olive oil and place on baking trays. Scatter over the remaining ingredients, then bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp.

To serve, divide the tuna among 4 plates, then top with a few small dollops of pimento aioli. Gently break the brik pasties into shards and place around the tuna. Using a microplane, grate the mojama over the top and serve immediately.

Note

• Tunisian brik pastry is a very thin pastry made from wheat flour, oil, salt and water. While used much in the same way as filo pastry, it is less flaky and fries well without absorbing too much oil. It is rolled into think round sheets. Available from Middle Eastern grocers and specialist food stores.

Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey starts Thursday 15 October 2015 at 8pm on SBS and finishes 17 December 2015. Visit the Shane Delia's Moorish Spice Journey program page to catch-up on episodes online, scroll through recipes and read our interview with Shane.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.