Isle of Wight Tomato Tartar with Smoked Tea Consommé & Matcha Oil

Fine dining at home doesn't have to be complex. It often comes down to how one ingredient shifts a dish. What's amazing about tea is that it can offer that shift and versatility while being clear, precise, and easy to work with, bringing structure and flavour.

Here, our Organic Lapsang Bai Mu Dan creates a light smoked consommé that sits alongside the natural sweetness of tomato. Our Matcha Ceremonial Grade Uji Samidori Hand Plucked is folded into oil, adding colour, softness, and a gentle savoury depth.

While michelin-starred restaurants may plate in a way that feels deeply considered and stylised, at home you can be reassured that excellent ingredients have done the work for you, whether it looks like a work or art or not. What matters most, is how it tastes and how it makes you feel. 

With thanks to creative development chef Panos Tsiakalos for creating this dish for us. 

Ingredients

Tomato Tartar

• 4 plum tomatoes
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• ½ shallot, finely chopped
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Maldon salt, to taste

Pickled Shallots

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 100ml water
• 35ml white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• Pinch of salt

Smoked Tea Consommé

• 2–3 tsp AVANTCHA Organic Lapsang Bai Mu Dan
• 200ml boiling water
• Pinch of salt

Matcha Oil

• 100ml sunflower oil
• 1 tsp AVANTCHA Matcha Ceremonial Grade (Samidori)
• Pinch of sugar
• Pinch of salt

To Serve

• Fresh basil leaves
• Good sourdough (optional)

Directions

1. Pickle the Shallots

Heat the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved.
Pour over sliced shallots and leave to cool. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Prepare the Tomato Tartar

Dice the tomatoes into small, even pieces, removing excess seeds.

Combine with:

• chopped shallot
• sun-dried tomatoes
• Dijon mustard
• basil
• olive oil
• salt

Mix gently and set aside.

3. Make the Smoked Tea Consommé

Infuse the tea in boiling water for 15 minutes.

Strain and season lightly with salt.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.

4. Prepare the Matcha Oil

Blend or whisk together:

• sunflower oil
• matcha
• sugar
• salt

Leave to infuse for 20–30 minutes, then strain if desired.

5. Assemble

Spoon the tomato tartar onto plates.

Top with:

• pickled shallots
• fresh basil

Serve with:

• a small pour of smoked tea consommé
• a few drops of matcha oil

Optional: serve alongside sourdough.