This sounds somewhat pretentious but I’m including it because it’s very, very tasty. It’s also pretty easy to prepare.

I’ve taken the recipe from Tim Anderson’s fantastic book “Your Home Izakaya” which has been a source of much joy and many ideas.

I’ve altered the recipe slightly to my own taste but honestly you should just buy the book because this is one of many fantastic recipes in there and you really need to give them a go because it lays everything out really simply so you can make everything at home.

Tim, a former Master Chef winner, also has a really nice sense of humour. He is an American (originally from Wisconsin) who has learnt much from Japan and now shares his cooking with the masses in his adopted home of London. We are very lucky to have him.

You can see him being interviewed here about ‘the fifth flavour’ Umami.

So let’s have a look at the recipe:

You will need

• An avocado
• A good quality tomato
• A garlic clove
• Part of a red onion
• Sesame oil
• Jalapeño
• Coriander/cilantro leaves
• Ponzu*

*What is Ponzu?

Ponzu is a type of Japanese sauce/dressing/marinade combining soy sauce with citrus juice. The ratio can change and it can also be spruced up with additional ingredients such as vinegar, dashi, mirin and sugar.

How to make the avocado sashimi

Thinly slice the red onion and add it to a bowl of iced water to crisp it up and remove some of the edge of the flavour.

The original recipe calls for scorching the tomato and removing the skin which will make a smoother end result but I usually don’t have the time so I just remove the seeds and finely dice it with the skin on.

Add the diced tomato (and any juice) to a bowl with half a grated garlic clove, half a teaspoon of sesame oil, a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp ponzu.

Cut the avocado in two, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, discard the stone then cut the flesh into thick slices.

Lay out the slices on a plate and dress with the tomato mixture.

Add the additional toppings such as sliced jalapeño, drained onion slices and torn coriander/cilantro leaves and serve.

I also sometimes add crispy fried onions for extra crunch. I’ve played around with the jalapeño types as well, with sweet pickled jalapeños working particularly nicely with this recipe.

A Word to the Wise

Martini food should ideally be edible with one hand so you can enjoy your drink with the other, so this is a dish that’s going to require chopsticks or a small spoon.

Otherwise, enjoy this absolutely delicious dish, and be sure to buy Tim Anderson’s brilliant book “Your Home Izakaya“.

いただきます!