Trying out the specialty restaurants is one of the great pleasures of dining on cruise ships. We recently sailed on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer and loved every one of its all-included specialty restaurants:

• Compass Rose – on most ships, this would be called the 'main' restaurant, but think again.  Compass Rose, in addition to a classic menu of courses of North American and Continental cuisine, has an innovative, 'build-your-own-meal' menu that allows you to select your meal elements and flavor preparations, so every meal is your own custom creation.
• Prime 7 – the steakhouse of your dreams.  Modeled after the masculine havens of London or New York, with mirrors and black and white marble, screens and art (by Picasso, and Chagall even!) of bulls, this is dining that brings out the primal instinct in us all.
• Chartreuse – the counterpoint to Prime 7.  An elegant, airy, French dream of Belle Epoque style and classic and modern, stylish French cuisine.
• Sette Mari at La Veranda – evening al fresco dining on the deck with the breeze in your hair and Italian wine and cuisine on your table.
• Pacific Rim – an exquisite, pan-Asian restaurant with spectacular, over-scaled Asian décor and a menu that's a delicious tour of the favorites of the continent.

Chef Enmin Wang at Pacific Rim was kind enough to share with us the recipe for the healthy, fresh, and delicious Tuna Tartare.   Watch the video as he prepares it for us, and here's our version of the recipe for you to try yourself.

For 2 Appetizer Servings

Step 1:  Prepare Carrot/Ginger Japanese Dressing:

Makes 375-500 mL

• 250 g (about 3) peeled, chopped carrots
• 125 g chopped whites of shallots
• 125 g peeled and sliced fresh ginger
• 80mL rice vinegar
• 80 mL canola oil
• 1 ½ T honey
• 1 T white miso if desired
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T Japanese soy sauce
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• water as needed for consistency

Tip:  for an even silkier consistency, or if you're worried you don't have a machine that will make a smooth result, cook carrots first. 

Otherwise, put all ingredients in a blender, blend til smooth.  Taste, and add salt, pepper, adjust honey, lime juice, all other seasonings, adding water if desired and necessary for the right consistency.  Put in a squeeze bottle for maximum ease, or a jar.   This step can be done a day or two ahead of using; keep refrigerated. 

This dressing is also delightful on green Japanese salads, and you'll have plenty of leftover to enjoy in other ways.

Step 2: Tuna

• 150 grams sushi grade tuna, in ½ cm dice

Place in a mixing bowl. 

• To taste, add approx:
• ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ teaspoon each mirin, Japanese soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon combined chives and scallions, cut in thin rounds (more or less, to taste)
• sea salt
• black pepper

Mix all ingredients. Adjust all seasonings to taste.

Step 3: Plate

On each of two decorative plates:

Create a wide pool of Carrot Ginger Dressing. 

If you have 6.5 cm rings, place the ring in the dressing and gently pack half of the tuna in the ring, pressing gently down.  Remove ring. If you don't have a ring, build a small mound of tuna using two spoons, careful not to disturb the dressing.

Garnish top of tuna with:

• 2 Tablespoons shallots (cut in rings, fried crispy in advance)
• 1 T spring onions, green part only, thinly sliced on a long bias

Sprinkle around tuna in the pool of dressing:

• ½ teaspoon toasted black sesame seeds

Repeat with second plate. Serve immediately (with crisps if you wish) and do not allow to sit at room temperature.