Tuna Crudo Recipe

If you think the blossoms are just for tea, think again.

4

45 minutes

By Molly Levine

Published on August 11, 2023

By Molly Levine

Published on August 11, 2023

In New York’s Hudson Valley, the height of summer means that the first lettuces and hearty greens of spring are finally replaced by more delicate herbs and tender vegetables at roadside stands supplied by local growers like Migliorelli Farm. This crudo with chamomile oil and cucumber salad is a celebration of those elusive seasonal delights. While “oils” often imply infusions or tinctures, this is an incredibly unfussy dish that does little to manipulate the fresh flowers. The only tool required is one of the oldest: a mortar and pestle. This tuna crudo recipe also leaves a lot of room for adaptation and substitution. “I am a stickler for sourcing, so I wait until tuna is being caught in Montauk from fishermen I trust,” explains chef Molly Levine of Westerly Canteen. “This recipe could easily sub in fluke, or halibut from the West Coast, or any other delicate fish that you would eat raw.”

If you can’t get fresh chamomile flowers, anise hyssop, fennel, or dill flowers are excellent substitutes.

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