The Taste of Tuna Tataki

Tataki, alternatively known as toso-mi, is a form of Japanese salad made out of either meat or seafood. The protein is seared quickly, marinated in either rice vinegar or mirin rice wine, and then cut into thin slices to be served with scallions and a ginger paste.

It is from this ginger that the dish derives its name. “Tataki” translates to “pounded”, in reference to the fact that the ginger used in its preparation was traditionally pulverized into a paste with a mortar and pestle before coating the protein.

Tataki is said to have been invented in the 19th century. The Japanese island of Shikoku was the point of entry for the early foreign visitors to the country, so this is where the grilling technique that made tataki possible was first introduced. Sakamoto, a renegade samurai who was inspired by European cooking, is credited with the creation of the earliest form of the dish.

At our Japanese restaurant in Lynnwood, you can experience the great taste of tataki in the form of our tuna tataki roll, prepared with fresh lettuce, cucumber, avocado, onions, and our special house sauce. Come and experience this old Japanese classic at Wild Wasabi today!