Chef's Choice Recipe: Eliott Harris' Tuna and Salmon Tartare

This is part three of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice interview with chef Eliott Harris of Miso on Meramec. Part one is available here; part two is here.

Robin Wheeler

​"People have this misconception about the Midwest that if you're landlocked, tough," sushi chef Eliott Harris says of sashimi availability in St. Louis. "But at the end of the day, there's nothing local coming in from where you live. Even on the west coast, you might get a few things in season from your own coast, but in Miami there's nothing local; about 80 percent of what's coming in is coming from Japan. It has to get on an airplane anyway, so whether it stops in Miami or St. Louis first, it's all the same."

Harris sources Miso on Meramec's seafood from the same importer he used in Miami and San Francisco, so there's little to no difference between the quality of his fish in St. Louis compared to what he used on both coasts. It's not quite that simple for home cooks wanting to venture into sashimi, of course. Harris emphasizes the importance of buying sashimi-grade fish from a good source, such as Bob's Seafood.

His recipe for tuna and salmon tartare highlights the quality of the sashimi. With fresh fish, the flavors and aroma are sweet and clean. The sashimi and avocados create a richness that's light enough for a summer day. Cassava chips add extra spice.

Robin Wheeler

​Tuna and Salmon Tartare
(For each serving)
1-1/2 ounces tuna, minced
1-1/2 ounces salmon, minced
1/2 ounce tuna and salmon tartare sauce (recipe below)
1.5 ounces avocado fresco (recipe below)
cassava or shrimp chips

1. In a small bowl combine tuna, salmon, and sauce.

2. Place a ring mold in center of plate and fill avocado fresco evenly into the mold.

3. Place tuna and salmon on top of avocado fresco and carefully remove ring mold.

4. Serve with cassava or shrimp chips.

Salmon and Tuna Tartare Sauce
4 ounces soy sauce
2 ounces sake
2 ounces Mirin
1 ounce sesame oil
1.5 ounces miso paste

Combine all ingredients until well incorporated.

Avocado Fresco
4 ripe avocados
3 limes, juiced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
1/4 ounce garlic, minced
2 serrano peppers, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, stemmed and finely chopped
dash Tabasco
1/4 ounce kosher salt

1. Halve and pit avocados.

2. Scoop out flesh with a spoon into a large mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash avocados, leaving some chunks.

3. Add remaining ingredients and gently fold to incorporate well.

Miso on Meramec
16 North Meramec Avenue, Clayton
314-863-7888