Easy Salmon Tartare Recipe

Salmon Tartare is a fresh and light starter, ideal to serve at the beginning of a seafood dinner. It is prepared using a tartare-grade fresh raw salmon, cucumber, and red onion marinated with lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and some mustard to give it a spicy bite. Fresh, light, and citrusy, it is so easy to make. Serve it in small cups with a slice of baguette, it is the perfect starter for a standing buffet party.

Jump to:

• How to buy fish to eat raw
• Cooking with lemon juice
• Ingredients
• Making the salmon tartare
• Serving the salmon tartare
• Top tips
• What does "tartare" means
• More French starters for a standing party
• Recipes with salmon you might also like
• 📋Salmon Tartare Starter

This recipe is very easy to make and it is even better if made ahead, perfect for a party.

There is no reason to be concerned about using raw salmon.

When you buy the salmon, ask your fishmonger for salmon tartar graded, which has been treated and it is safe to eat raw. It is the same salmon used for Sushi.

Also in this recipe, the salmon is marinated in lemon juice. The acid of the lemon chemically denatures the proteins of the salmon, a similar process done by the heat when the fish is cooked.

If you like raw salmon you can also find the recipe for sushi: Maki and uramaki sushi recipe for beginners

For seafood ideas for the Feast of Seven Fishes, check out this Web Story.

How to buy fish to eat raw

Since salmon tartare is made with raw salmon, you need to ensure that the salmon is very fresh and can be eaten raw, similar to the salmon used for Sushi.

THE SALMON SHOULD HAVE BEEN STORED AT -4 F/-20 C FOR AT LEAST 7 DAYS

This treatment kills all parasites and bacteria, making the fish safe to eat. For additional information, you can find the recommendations from the FDA here.

As an alternative, if you cannot find a properly treated fish, you can use smoked salmon.

Cooking with lemon juice

However, the salmon is not completely raw as it is seasoned with lemon juices and marinated for at least 30 minutes.

The acid from the lemon juice produces an effect of denaturation on the fish which is similar to cooking, even if it is not exactly the same thing.

The salmon will change color and will look cooked. Cut the salmon into small cubes to make sure it is evenly seasoned with lemon juice.

Ingredients

• 10 oz - 300 g of fresh salmon cured at low temperature
• ¼ of red onion
• ½ cucumber
• ¼ teaspoon original English mustard
• 1 not treated lemon
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Substitution

You can add avocado with or instead of cucumber, however avocado can turn black and it may not look pretty the next day.

I use original English mustard as I like it extra spicy, but you can use regular mustard.

Besides salmon, you can also make this recipe with tuna or shrimp.

Making the salmon tartare

1. Cut the salmon into small cubes with a sharp knife.
2. Chop a ¼ of a red onion very finely and add to the salmon
3. Do the same with the cucumber, but first, remove the core with the seeds as it will make the tartare too watery.
4. Season with mustard, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir
6. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge

Serving the salmon tartare

8. Pour it into 6 small glasses
9. Cut some slices of fresh baguette, one for each glass
10. Place the slice of baguette on top of the tartare just before serving

Top tips

• Since salmon tartare is made with raw salmon, you need to ensure that the salmon is very fresh and can be eaten raw
• The salmon should have been stored at -4 F / -20 C for at least 7 days. This treatment kills all parasites and bacteria, making the fish safe to eat
• As an alternative, if you cannot find a properly treated fish, you can use smoked salmon.
• Cut the salmon into small cubes to make sure it is evenly seasoned with lemon juice.
• SUBSTITUTION: I use English mustard as I like it extra spicy, but you can use regular mustard.
• Besides salmon, you can also make this recipe with fresh tuna or shrimps.
• It has to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but you can also leave it for a couple of hours

What does "tartare" means

"A la Tartare" originally had a completely different meaning. It was used to indicate a dish covered with breadcrumbs, grilled, and served with a highly seasoned sauce.  Now it is used for a sauce or a raw meat dish.

Tartare sauce is mayonnaise made with hard-boiled egg yolks, onion and chives served with fish, calves' feet (yes, I know), oysters, or Pont Neuf potatoes. I always serve tartare sauce with a seafood platter.

Steak Tartare, on the other hand, is made with raw meat (originally horse meat) served with egg yolk, capers, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning.  Although in the 1921 edition of Escoffier 's La guide Culinaire, Steak Tartare was raw meat served with Tartare sauce.

Now Tartare applies to other raw dishes like fish or meat, for example, Tuna Tartare was introduced by Le Duc in Paris in 1975.

For those of you who don't know,  Chef Auguste Escoffier was the "Chef of the Kings and the King of Chefs", this title was earned during his direction of the kitchen at the Savoy Hotel from 1890-99. I went to visit his museum and you can watch it on my youtube channel: Museum Escoffier Villeneuve Loubet

More French starters for a standing party

This salmon tartare is a perfect starter for a standing party as guests can easily serve themselves and eat it standing. Another typical French starter with salmon is (1) Salmon with Blini, smoked salmon served over a savory pancake.

If you would like something different you can serve the (2) savoury pancakes with other toppings, and here are some ideas.

Other French starters on my blog are 3 recipes I took from Escoffier's La guide Culinair: 

(3) Rissole à la Dauphine: minced meat wrapped in a brioche pastry

(4) Bouchée à la Reine: generically call Vol au vent, light flaky pastry filled with mushrooms in a white sauce

(5) Cheese Gougère Bourguignonne: puff pastries where sugar is replaced by cheese

Last but not least, (6) Pissaladiere a typical dish from the South of France, a pizza made with onions and anchovies.

Recipes with salmon you might also like

For more seafood recipes, check out the category: Seafood

Also check the recipes below:

• Healthy Cod Recipe
• Scallop, Shrimp, Salmon and Cod Fish Pie with a Mediterranean Twist
• Baked salmon fillet in oven with steamed zucchini and potatoes
• Blini Russian Pancake with Salmon
• Maki and Uramaki Sushi Rolls Recipe

If you are making this salmon tartare starter leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.