“I first had tostadas with raw tuna at Restaurante Contramar during a visit to Mexico City, a dish they are famously known for. This is my personal adaptation which has become part of my weeknight dinner recipe repertoire. I know frying at home can be intimidating, but this recipe calls for a small pot and not a ton of oil, and, there is lots of leeway: It is hard to mess up frying a tortilla unless you fry it so long that it becomes burnt. At Formaggio Kitchen we sell sushi-grade Yellowfin tuna in frozen blocks, making this recipe even easier to execute.”
-Morgan Mannino, Cheesemonger and Marketing and E-Commerce Director at Formaggio Kitchen
Tuna Tostadas
Serves 2
Ingredients
Tostadas
6 Mi Tierra corn tortillas
1 block frozen Yellowfin tuna, defrosted
1 ripe avocado
3 cups frying oil (like canola or vegetable)
Fresh lime juice
Chipotle Mayo
1 tablespoon XILLI Chipotles Adobados
Half a lime worth of lime juice (or more to taste)
½ cup Kewpie or other mayo of your choice
Salt to taste
Garnishes
Chopped scallions
Fresh cilantro
Crispy shallots
Lime wedges
Instructions
- Pour oil into a small sauce pot and heat over high heat.
- While the oil is heating, cut a 3-4 inch circle out of the center of each tortilla (you can use a donut or biscuit cutter, or run a pairing knife around a pint glass or small bowl).*
- Once the oil reaches 350F, fry the tortillas, 1-2 at a time (depending on the size of your pot), flipping over as needed. Once the tortilla is firm and golden brown, remove from the oil using a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.
- Make the chipotle mayo: In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon chipotles, and half a lime's worth of lime juice. Season with salt and potentially more lime juice to taste.
- Prep the avocado and tuna: Slice the avocado into thin slices and toss with lime juice. Slice the tuna into thin strips (you won't end up using the whole block, store it back in the fridge for another use).**
- Assemble the tostadas: Spread about a tablespoon or so of chipotle mayo on the tortillas. Add slices of avocado and then strips of tuna. Season with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt.
- Garnish: Finish by garnishing with chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, crispy shallots, and a drizzle of XILLI salsa seca. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
*I like to cut the tortillas because I like smaller tostadas, but you can certainly fry off the tortillas whole. If you cut the tortillas, don’t throw out the leftover tortilla scraps! You can cut them into strips or triangles and fry them for use as garnish elsewhere or enjoy as a snack.
**Another way to prepare the tuna for these tostadas is to use a tortilla press. Cut a small square of tuna (about ~1in x ~1in), place it between two pieces of parchment paper, and press it on the tortilla press. You'll get a thin layer of tuna that you can lay on top of the tostada.