Cuban-Japanese fusion recipe

Tuna Tartare with Mango and Avocado on Tostones

Name: Tuna Tartare with Mango and Avocado on Tostones
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 large green plantains; Enough vegetable oil for frying; Salt to taste, for the tostones; 400 g cleaned tuna loin, skin and bones removed; 150 g firm mango, peeled; 150 g cleaned avocado; 15 g chives; 20 ml soy sauce; 5 g grated ginger; 10 ml lime juice; 5 ml sesame oil

A Cuban-Japanese fusion starter: diced raw tuna, mango and avocado dressed with soy sauce and ginger on crispy tostones.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation25 min
Cooking15 min
Total time40 min
Servings4 servings (12 tostones, 3 per person)
DifficultyMedium

This starter is a contemporary fusion creation: it belongs to neither historical Cuban nor Japanese tradition. It brings together the tostón, the crispy green plantain disc served at so many Cuban tables, and a Japanese-inspired tuna tartare dressed with soy sauce, ginger, lime and sesame oil.

Contrast is everything: the golden, salty tostón, the fresh, silky tuna, the firm, tart mango and the creamy avocado. It's an appetizer to show off at a gathering, as long as you follow the raw fish safety protocol below.

Important: This dish contains raw tuna. Read the safety protocol before starting, and don't prepare it unless you can obtain fish specifically intended for raw consumption.

Method

The tostones

Peel the green plantains and cut each one into six portions, for a total of 12 pieces.
Fry the pieces in oil at 160-170 °C for about 6-8 minutes, depending on their thickness, until tender. Drain.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Flatten each piece while hot into a flat disc and fry again at 180 °C until golden and thoroughly cooked inside.
Season the tostones with salt and place them on a wire rack until they are no longer hot.

The tartare and assembly

With the fish well chilled and using a dedicated cutting board and knife, cut the tuna into small, even dice. Return it to the refrigerator at 4 °C or below.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Cut the firm mango and avocado into small dice of the same size, so all three ingredients are visible. Chop the chives.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Mix the soy sauce, grated ginger, lime juice and sesame oil in a bowl. Keep the sauce refrigerated until serving.
Just before serving, gently mix the tuna, mango, avocado and chives with the dressing, taking care not to break up the diced ingredients.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Place 1 tablespoon of tartare on each cooled tostón, never on hot tostones, and serve immediately. Do not assemble them in advance or save the leftovers.

Tips and variations

Safety protocol for raw or partially raw fish

Buy tuna from a reliable supplier who sells fish specifically intended for raw consumption, and confirm that it has undergone parasite control appropriate to the species and origin, normally by supplier-validated freezing where applicable. Freshness alone is no guarantee of safety.
Start with fish that has already been treated and thawed in the refrigerator. Do not improvise freezing treatments at home.
Keep the fish, sauce and other raw preparations at 4 °C or below until assembly.
Use a clean cutting board and knife exclusively for the fish, separate from those used for the mango, avocado and tostones, to avoid cross-contamination.
Serve freshly prepared and do not save leftover dressed fish.
Lemon, soy sauce, sesame or a sear on the outside alone do not make the raw center safe. Proper freezing controls parasites but does not eliminate all harmful microorganisms, and no protocol reduces the risk to zero.

Alternative for pregnant people, children, older adults and immunocompromised people: Replace the raw tuna with tuna or another firm-fleshed fish cooked through until the center reaches 63 °C. Cook it, let it cool, dice it and dress it in the same way. The result is different: it is no longer a raw tartare, but a chopped cooked fish mixture with a firmer texture and more pronounced flavor.

Tips: Soy sauce and, where applicable, other seasonings may contain gluten, so this recipe is not labeled gluten-free. For crispier tostones, flatten them firmly and dry them well before the second frying. If the mango is very ripe, it will fall apart when cut; look for a firm one.

The times assume the fish is ready to use and exclude preventive freezing and thawing.