arca tulum’s roasted pepper tartare

replica #005 — arca, tulum, february 2021. a tartare with no meat in it: roasted peppers and plantain, morita chile, and a shell of toasted almonds laid one by one.

preparation

ingredients

• 2 bell peppers

• 1 ripe plantain

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

method

1. cut the bell peppers in half. peel the plantain.

2. preheat the oven to 350°f (175°c) and roast the peppers and the plantain for 40–60 minutes.

3. spread the sliced almonds in a dry pan over medium heat; toss and shake until golden.

assembly

ingredients

• the roasted bell peppers, finely chopped

• the roasted plantain

• 2 tbsp morita chile paste (or oil), to taste

• the golden sliced almonds

method

1. add the morita chile paste to the chopped roasted peppers and mix.

2. finely chop and mash the plantain.

3. mix and fold the chopped roasted peppers and the mashed plantain together.

4. fill a ring mold halfway with the pepper-and-plantain mixture, then fill the top half with the chile-dressed peppers.

5. with tweezers, lay the toasted almonds on top: start from the outer edge and work inward, each almond slightly overlapping the last, clockwise, until half of the tartare is covered.

the step-by-step photos are on the replica project page · arca, tulum.