Fishing is the lifeblood of Maldives and is inseparable from the country and its people. Blessed with an abundance of aquatic life and fish, local fishermen rely on a line-and-pole method to fish sustainably for popular species like tuna, grouper and dolphin fish. On a sunny afternoon, we are treated to the experience of picking fresh herbs from Gili Lankanfushi’s garden and preparing a raw marinated tuna salad.

INGREDIENTS:

• • 500g Tuna fillet
  • 50ml Soy sauce
  • 1 piece Lime (zests)
  • 1 piece Egg yolk
  • 20ml Water
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 50g Wasabi leaves
  • 80g Grape seed oil
  • 60g Parmesan cheese
  • 60g Garden herbs (beach lettuce/ rocket leaves with blossom/coriander leaves with blossom/water cress/chives/chervil)
  • Wasabi tobiko
  • Salmon roe
  • White and black sesame seeds

METHOD:

• 1. Slice the fresh tuna fillet like a fine sashimi and marinate with soy sauce and lime zests.
  2. Grate the Parmesan cheese on a baking paper.
  3. Melt the cheese for 25 seconds in a microwave oven.
  4. Remove the baking paper from the microwave oven and form the melted Parmesan into tuile (thin wafer).
  5. Blend the wasabi leaves together with water, add in egg yolk, lime juice and a pinch of salt in a kitchen blender and emulsify the mix with the grape seed oil to make a smooth mayonnaise.
  6. Dress the marinated tuna slices into a round shape on the center of the plate and decorate with the Parmesan tuile, garden herbs, salmon roe, wasabi tobiko and sesame seeds.

Basil

Beach lettuce

Rocket leaves with flowers

Salad

Thai basil

Watercress