Easy Fresh Salmon Tartare Recipe with Cucumber (2024)

Salmon Tartare is a fresh and light starter, ideal for serving as a simple appetizer for a seafood dinner. It is prepared using raw fresh sushi-grade 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 with a silky texture, it is so easy to make. Serve it in small cups with a baguette slice; it is the perfect starter for a standing buffet party.

This recipe is easy to make and even better if made ahead, perfect when you are entertaining.

If you are concerned about eating raw salmon, follow all the food safety precautions to prevent any risk to pregnant women or young children.

You can visit foodsafety.gov at this link.

When you buy the salmon, ask your local fishmonger for sushi grade salmon, which has been treated at a low temperature.

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

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

Sushi grade salmon

Since salmon tartare is made with raw salmon fillet, you need to buy high-quality salmon that 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 but not all harmful germs so you can find the recommendations from the FDA here for additional information.

Alternatively, you can use smoked salmon.

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

The acid from the lemon juice produces an effect of denaturation on the fish

The salmon will change color and look cooked, but it is not the same.

Ingredients

• Sushi graded salmon: fresh salmon cured at low temperature
• Red onion
• Cucumber
• Mustard: I like original English mustard as it is very spicy. For milder mustard, you can use Dijon mustard
• Non treated lemon
• Salt and pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

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 cubes
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 zest and extra virgin olive oil
5. Add salt and black pepper to taste and stir
6. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge

How to serve it

8. Pour it into six 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

Substitution

Besides salmon, you can also make this recipe with any other sushi-grade fish like tuna, swordfish or shrimp.

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 Dijon mustard. For even more delicate flavors you can use lime juice instead of lemon.

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, but not all harmful germs
• 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.
• 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 indicated 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, seasoned with fresh herbs like onion and chives, and served with fish, calves' feet (yes, I know), oysters, or Pont Neuf potatoes. I always serve tartare sauce with a seafood platter.

On the other hand, the classic Steak Tartare is made with raw meat (originally horse meat) and served with egg yolk, capers, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoning. Although in the 1921 edition of cookbook author 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.

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) Pissaladierea 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

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