Pepperfin tuna is always a crowd pleaser at sushi restaurants, but it usually costs around $15 per serving and the portions are generally on the smaller side.

The recipe is really easy to prepare and can be flawlessly duplicated at home for a fraction of the cost. Most casual cooks probably even have the few necessary ingredients already in their kitchens, but if that’s not the case, they can be purchased fairly inexpensively.

Purchase tuna at a fish market such as Oto’s Marketplace on Freeport Boulevard or Suhn Fish in downtown Sacramento. For this recipe, sushi grade albacore tuna from Suhn Fish was used, but if you prefer red tuna, that will taste great too.

Make sure the fish is sushi grade. Sushi grade means that the fish is safe to prepare and eat raw, usually due to it being flash frozen for a certain amount of time to kill bacteria.

DIY Pepperfin Tuna

5 ounces sushi grade albacore tuna

1 teaspoon diced green onions

1 thinly sliced jalapeño

1 teaspoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons ponzu sauce (can be purchased in Asian aisle)

sprinkle of sesame seeds

The tuna will be prepared at the market for you and basically just needs to be cut, preferably with a freshly sharpened knife. The sharper the better; observe a sushi chef – they always take great care of their knives and keep them razor sharp.

Slice the tuna against the grain into 1/4 inch fillets and arrange them on a plate fanned out and overlapping so the sauce will be able to cover each piece well.

Once it’s cut, add sauces to taste. Drizzle a teaspoon of sesame oil over the fish, trying to cover it evenly. Follow with the ponzu sauce, again trying for even coverage. Neatly place the thinly sliced jalapeño and the diced green onions in the middle of the fanned out fish slices and lightly sprinkle with sesame seeds. Eat immediately, making sure to get all ingredients in each bite. Enjoy!

Steven Senn can be reached at [email protected]