Salmon tartare

Salmon tartare

Assuming diced raw salmon dressed with lemon or lime, shallot, capers and dill.

Raw salmon is rich and oily, and it is usually dressed with citrus, shallot, capers and herbs, so the wine needs high acidity and a clean, unoaked style. Oily fish and oak together taste metallic and fishy. A big or high alcohol wine buries something this delicate.

Pairs Perfectly. Riesling, dry, Clare Valley, South Australia. Lime, green apple and a stony edge on searing acidity, with nothing oaky or heavy about it. The lime runs straight into the citrus dressing and cuts the richness of the fish, and it is priced for any night of the week.

Pairs Well. Champagne in its Blanc de Blancs style, France. Chalky and fine, with bubbles that lift the oil of the fish and a lemony edge that matches the dressing.

Pairs Well. Pale rosé made from Pinot Noir, France. Dry, delicate and red fruited, a natural colour and weight for raw salmon.

Worth Seeking Out

Dry Riesling from the Finger Lakes, New York, USA. Cool grown beside deep lakes, lean and citrus bright with a slatey finish.

Avoid

Oaked whites and red wine. Oily fish turns metallic against oak and tannin alike, and a heavy wine smothers the delicate flesh.

Failing That

A Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine, France.

If All Else Fails

Vermentino, Sardinia.

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