Timbale of Spicy Tuna, Avocado and Smoked Salmon

My food artistry skills are limited, but I do think that making a meal look attractive actually makes it easier to accept the fact that it’s diet-conscious. Although oily fish like tuna and oily fruit like avocado are relatively high in calories, they contain lots of things that are good for you. My diet-conscious Tuna Timbale makes for a very pretty dinner plate that, and with accompanying green salad, comes to just 320 calories by my calculation.

INGREDIENTS

For each person:

  • 120g tuna
  • 50g smoked salmon
  • ½ medium avocado
  • 1 spring onion
  • (Optional) 1 dessertspoon capers
  • Juice of ½ lime (or lemon)

For the marinade:

  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) light soy sauce (or fish sauce)
  • 1cm squeeze ginger puree (from a tube)
  • 5ml (1 teaspoon) sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon hot paprika
  • 3-4 drops Tabasco sauce

METHOD

  1. Chop the tuna into small pieces (e.g. 5mm dice), then blitz in a food processor for 15-20 seconds

    Blitz the tuna in a food processor

  2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a small bowl or cup. If you don’t want it spicy, just reduce or omit the paprika and/or tabasco.
  3. Chop the spring onion finely (1mm slices) and capers (if using)
  4. Mix the minced tuna, marinade and spring onion and form into a hamburger shape using a 10cm ring or pastry cutter

    Minced tuna mixed with spring onion and marinade

  5. Chop the avocado finely into 5mm dice. Mix with the lemon juice.

    Avocado and smoked salmon chopped finely

  6. Add the avocado as a second layer in the ring mould

    Avocado layer added to the ring mould

  7. Chop the smoked salmon very finely. Add this as the third layer.

    Chopped smoked salmon added as the final layer

  8. Remove the ring mould and transfer the timbale carefully to the serving plate
  9. Voila! Your diet-conscious spicy Tuna, Avocado and Smoked Salmon timbale is ready to enjoy! To make it a meal, serve with a salad with one of my diet-conscious dressings.

VARIANT

Maybe you don’t have a food processor or even a ring mould…  the same ingredients can be presented attractively in other ways. This photo shows the tuna, avocado and a tomato sliced sashimi-fashion. In this case the marinade (same recipe as above) is simply poured over the sliced tuna.