Conrad Bora Bora Nui’s head chef Kévin Mougin grew up in France surrounded by a family of restaurateurs. Inspired by the people around him, he began a cooking apprenticeship in Brittany at the age of 15. Four years later, he turned to the art of patisseries learning from the 2007 French Champion in plated desserts, Emmanuel Lojou.
It was at Bora Bora’s Lagoon Restaurant by Jean-Georges that Kévin discovered his love for French Polynesia, its culture and the kindness and generosity if its people.
Kévin’s signature recipe is a tri-color Tuna Tataki with crunchy vegetables and a garlic and ginger emulsion. He believes the tuna in this recipe brings out the very best of French Polynesian culture.
Serves 2
Level: Intermediate
Ingredients
200gr Tuna
10gr Poppy seeds
10gr Wasabi sesame seeds
10gr White sesame seeds
Preparation
Slice the tuna into three 7cm x 3cm rectangles then rub each slice with one of the three varieties of grain. Lightly pan-sear then chill.
Sashimi Emulsion
60 gr White onion
10 gr Garlic
15 gr Spring onions
70 gr Soy sauce
60 gr Egg yolks
25gr Lemon juice
15 gr Sugar
300 ml Grape seed oil
Preparation
Thoroughly mix egg yolks, garlic, spring onions, soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar, then work in the grape seed oil. Sieve then pour into a siphon.
Baby Vegetables
20gr Carrots
20gr Asparagus
20gr Radish
20gr Chioggia beetroot
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Preparation
Finely slice the vegetables then place them in freezing cold water. Refrigerate for an hour then season with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Assembly
Slice the tuna rectangles into 1.5cm squares then use an 8cm wide x 8cm high mold to evenly place the tuna around the rim. Alternate the three different types of tuna for design and flavor and repeat until reaching the top of the mold. Place the emulsion in the center, delicately position the crunchy vegetables on the top and enjoy!