Sashimi de Atún (Mexican Tuna Sashimi With Soy-Lime Dressing)

Mexico's spin on Japanese tuna sashimi has traditional elements like soy sauce and raw fish, but adds Mexican flavor with lime juice, serrano chiles, cilantro, tostadas, and avocado.

Overhead view of Sashimi de Atun

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Why This Recipe Works

  • Slicing the tuna against the grain ensures the most tender texture.
  • Spooning the sauce over the tuna right before serving prevents the fish from curing in the lime juice, preserving its buttery texture.

If sashimi is doused in a salty, citrusy marinade and covered with serrano chiles, is it still sashimi? For chefs and home cooks across Mexico, the answer is a resounding yes. Sashimi de atún is clearly Japanese-influenced from the raw tuna to the soy sauce, ginger, and sesame. But ingredients like lime and orange juice, spring onions, serrano chile, cilantro, and avocado is what shapes its wonderfully Mexican identity in the end. While still recognizably Asian in influence, sashimi de atún has taken on a distinctly Mexican flavor.

Though it’s not exactly clear when sashimi first came to Mexico, Japanese immigrants established communities around Mexico over the course of the 20th century and made their mark on Mexican society. The first Japanese restaurant in the country issaid to bethat of theAsociación México Japonesa, founded in 1960. Japanese food’s popularity may also have been driven by the boom of sushi restaurants in the U.S. starting in the late 1980s—in the early 2000s, some restaurants advertised sushi as a U.S. novelty, according to thenewspaper Noroeste, a regional newspaper in northwest Mexico. Either way, Mexican chefs were quick to adapt recipes to their customers’ evolving tastes. Today, sashimi can be found in home kitchens (at least in Sinaloa) and is a common offering at seafood restaurants throughout Mexico.

Overhead view of sashimi de atun before sauce had been poured on it

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Sashimi in Mexico can take many forms, from the fairly traditional Japanese sashimi from which it originates to something akin toaguachilewith lime juice, chiles, soy sauce, red onion, cucumber, and cilantro. Most variations—including this recipe—tend toward the latter. The dish is usually served with tostadas or saltine-style crackers, and some restaurants offer to lightly sear the tuna before preparing the sashimi (in efforts to allay any discomfort with eating totally raw tuna).

In this sashimi de atún recipe, I aimed for a well-balanced sauce that wouldn’t overpower the star of the dish: the tuna. That meant opting for spring onions rather than red onions, including a little orange juice for citrusy sweetness and making sure not to overdo the lime and ginger. The buttery tuna is cut into thick slices and dressed with a savory soy sauce-based marinade with an assertive lime and orange flavor right before serving. A combination of toppings like serrano chile, cilantro, and tostadas round out the flavor and provide a welcome texture contrast. The result is a refreshing light meal (or appetizer) with both Japanese and Mexican roots, perfect for sharing on a hot day.

Overhead view of sauces used for sashimi

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

How to Select and Cut the Tuna

As with Japanese sashimi, selecting and cutting the tuna is key to the sashimi’s fresh flavor and buttery texture. There's no question as to the importance of using high-quality, perfectly fresh raw tuna in a recipe like this, but I can't stress enough just how equally important the cutting technique is to success. Not only do you need a very sharp knife (a blunt knife mashes the fish, rendering the outside pasty and changing how it absorbs the marinade), but you also need to be thoughtful about the angle and orientation of the knife cuts.

If you cut along the grain of the muscle, for example, the long muscle fibers and their strips of sinewy membranes will be unpleasantly stringy. In contrast, cutting against the grain severs those long fibers, creating the smooth, rich texture that sashimi is famous for. If you lack full confidence in your knife skills, I recommend freezing the fish for about twenty minutes until it is firm to the touch, but not fully frozen, which makes slicing easier for those of us less skilled at it. Aim to make each cut in a single smooth motion without sawing, which will tear the flesh.

Overhead view of piece of tuna

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

In restaurants, it's common for each slice of tuna to be cut to the same rectangular shape and size; any scraps that accumulate throughout the day are typically used in other ways (spicy tuna roll anyone?). At home, though, I don't see the need to trim each piece like that—it wastes precious fish, especially given the challenge of repurposing the small amount of scrap that such a small amount of tuna yields. Slices that vary slightly in size and shape taste just as delicious.

As far as quality goes, look for something as fresh as possible or flash-frozen at the point of catch (flash freezing reduces the risk of certain parasites). And while "sushi-grade" is not an FDA-regulated term, it's still a helpful phrase when talking to a fishmonger. Thisraw fish guideis also a great source. When selecting a cut, look for tuna with less white sinew and more red muscle.

The Secret to the Sauce

一点橙汁酱wh添ile sesame oil adds richness and flavor. For this recipe, I opted for spring onions, a less pungent alternative to red onions, though scallions will also work. Freshly grated ginger and black pepper add two dimensions of warmth, and are complemented by a final kick of heat from slivers of serrano chile along with the herbal minerality of fresh cilantro.

Overhead view of pouring sauce on sashimi

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

While soy sauce and sesame oil are the clear Japanese flavor influences here, it's the combination of lime and orange juices, fresh serrano chile, cilantro, and onion, that together bend the sashimi in the direction of a clear Mexican flavor profile. Serving the sashimi with creamy avocado and cooling cucumber alongside crispy fresh tostadas further solidifies its unmistakable Mexican identity.

While this sashimi has clear roots in Japanese cuisine, with one bite it becomes immediately clear that this sashimi de atún is unmistakably Mexican. It's kind of magical how the flavor manages to transcend its origins so completely.

Recipe Details

Sashimi de Atún (Mexican Tuna Sashimi With Soy-Lime Dressing)

Prep20 mins
Freezing Time20 mins
Total40 mins
Serves6

Mexico's spin on Japanese tuna sashimi has traditional elements like soy sauce and raw fish, but adds Mexican flavor with lime juice, serrano chiles, cilantro, tostadas, and avocado.

华体会应用下载

  • 1 pound (450g) sushi-grade tuna
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce (see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons (5g) fresh grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoons spring onion shoots or scallion (6g), finely chopped (see notes)
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 serrano chile, stemmed and sliced into thin rounds
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish
  • For Serving:
  • One medium garden cucumber (8 ounces; 227g), peeled, halved, seeded, and sliced into crescent moons
  • 一个媒介哈斯鳄梨(8盎司;227 g),减少了一半,pitted and sliced thin
  • Tostadas

Directions

  1. Set tuna on a plate and transfer to freezer until tuna is firm to the touch but not fully frozen, about 20 minutes.

    Overhead view of piece of frozen tuna on a pink plate

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

  2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, orange juice, sesame oil, ginger, scallions and pepper; set aside.

    Overhead view of sauce for sashimi whisked together

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

  3. Using a very sharp knife, slice the firmed tuna against the grain of the muscle into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

    Overhead view of slicing tuna

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

  4. Shingle the tuna slices attractively in an even layer on a serving platter. Pour the reserved sauce over the sliced tuna.

    Two image collage of tuna arranged on a plate on top of cucumbers and sauce being poured over it

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

  5. Garnish with serrano, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Serve right away with cucumber, avocado, and tostadas.

    Overhead view of finished ceviche

    Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Special Equipment

A very sharp slicing knife

Notes

This recipe is generally made with a dark, Japanese-style soy sauce. I used Kikkoman Soy Sauce. If you're sensitive to sodium, consider using low or less-sodium soy sauce. Be careful not to confuse reduced-sodium soy sauce with light (usukuchi) soy sauce, which has a different flavor profile.

Scallions may be substituted for the spring onions.

Make sure to buy extremely fresh fish that is suitable for eating raw; flash-frozen fish is even safer, as the deep freezing process kills some potential parasites.

Make-Ahead and Storage

This recipe should be served immediately.