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When I was dreaming up these Wonderland Bluefin Tapioca Crisps for my Wonderland party, I wanted something whimsical and genuinely delicious. These appetizer bites were directly inspired by the Cheshire Cat, and they came out completely magical. The lightly cured bluefin tuna is tossed with fresh lemon zest and sits on top of a bright purple, airy tapioca crisp. It’s an eccentric bite finished with a bright pink mayo and a savory citrus sauce served in miniature syringes – because every great dinner party needs a little bit of madness.
Table of Contents
About the Taste
When I served these, my friends went nuts over how cool they looked. It’s not every day that you’re served cured bluefin tuna over a puffy purple tostada crisp with pink mayo and a ponzu syringe on the side. You get that airy, puffed crunch from the tapioca base pairing perfectly with the cold, velvety, citrusy tuna. The creamy pink mayo adds a savory layer with a little fresh ginger bite, while the ponzu brings a balanced, sweet tang. It’s a really fun, delicious bite that proves falling down the rabbit hole is completely worth it.
Mastering the Purple Tapioca Crisps
Making these from scratch takes a little patience, but these gorgeous purple crisps are worth it. Here is exactly how to nail the color, the dehydration, and the fry.
The Natural Purple: We skip artificial food coloring entirely. Butterfly pea powder provides a deep blue, and dragonfruit powder adds pink. The pinch of cream of tartar is the secret weapon—the acid reacts with the butterfly pea to lock in that vibrant, Cheshire Cat purple without changing the flavor.
Dehydration Tips: Spread the boiled tapioca evenly on a silicone baking mat. Parchment paper can be used, but it might stick. At 140°F (60°C), it takes 4 to 6 hours. You will know it’s done when the sheet feels entirely brittle and snaps cleanly. If it bends or feels tacky in the center, leave it in. Any leftover moisture will prevent it from puffing.
Frying: You need 350°F (175°C) oil to get the perfect puff. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a tiny scrap of dried tapioca into the oil. If it sinks and sits there, the oil is too cold. If it instantly smokes, it’s too hot. It’s ready when the tiny scrap rapidly puffs to the surface.
The Ladle Trick: While the crisp fries, press down in the center with a metal ladle for 10 seconds. This forces the tapioca to form a bowl, creating a whimsical shape to hold the tuna.
Don’t Skip the Cream of Tartar
Butterfly pea powder actually brews a deep blue on its own. The pinch of cream of tartar is the dry acid that forces the pH to drop, shifting the color to that bright purple. If you skip it, your crisps will just be blue.
Ingredient Swaps
The Tapioca Crisps Color Powders: If you don’t have both the butterfly pea and dragonfruit powders, you have options.
- What Fails: Do not use ube powder or purple sweet potato powder. They are starches and will turn your tapioca mixture too thick.
- What Works: You can use extra butterfly pea powder on its own, or use food dye. Boiling purple cabbage works visually, but it has a noticeable cabbage flavor. If you love cabbage, go for it. I wasn’t a fan of the combo with the raw tuna though.
Sushi-Grade Bluefin Tuna: If you can’t find bluefin, yellowtail (hamachi) or salmon will work perfectly. (Check out my Nadia’s Sushi-Grade Tips section for tips on how to buy).
Shiro Dashi: A very simple swap for this is 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce with a pinch of bonito flakes.
Japanese Mayo: Using standard mayonnaise with a tiny pinch of sugar and a drop of rice vinegar mimic the richer, sweeter tang of Kewpie.
White Miso: Red miso can take its place but it has a much stronger flavor so you need to use about half. You can also omit it entirely and add an extra drop of soy sauce to the pink mayo.
Edible Flowers: If you want a different garnish, micro-cilantro, micro-shiso, or even a finely julienned radish are some other beautiful, fresh finishes.
Prep-Friendly Timeline
Up to 3 Days Before: You can make the ponzu a few days early and let it marinate in an airtight container in the fridge. Wait until the day of to add it to the syringes.
The Day Before: Dehydrate your tapioca crisps and make the beet-ginger mayo. Knock out the 4-to-6-hour dehydration early. Once the crisps are completely dry, break it into the sizes you want and store the unfried pieces in an airtight bag at room temperature. You can measure out your mayo, miso, honey, and sesame oil into a bowl and keep it in the fridge, but don’t add the ginger or beet juice yet.
Right Before Serving: Finish the mayo, fry the crisps, and prep the tuna. Whisk your fresh ginger and beet juice into the mayo right beforehand. Fry the tapioca pieces in hot oil for 10 seconds each. Wait until the last minute to cure the tuna and toss it with the lemon zest, then assemble and serve immediately.
How to Serve: Wonderland Menu Edition
These crisps are the start of a full Wonderland-themed menu I’m putting together from my party. If you’re hosting a themed party, you want a mix of whimsical, bite-sized appetizers that look surreal but actually taste amazing.
Right now, the only other recipe I have posted is my cheese rosettes with whipped fig brie. The whipped fig brie is creamy and sweet. The cheese rosettes bring in a savory nutty bite…and they’re adorable.
While I finish up the rest of the official menu, here are some other whimsical recipes to check out:
Cocktails
Cucumbertini 🍸
Dips and Butters
Cheese Rosettes in Whipped Fig Brie
Appetizers
Deviled Eggs en Coquille D’oeuf
Dips and Butters
Layered Herb Butter Cake
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Frequently Asked Questions
Dehydrate them the day before and store the dried pieces in an airtight bag at room temperature. Just don’t fry them until right before you serve.
No. They need the instant shock of the hot frying oil to rapidly expand. This one just isn’t good for the air fryer.
Yes, absolutely. If you don’t want to buy the butterfly pea and dragonfruit powders, you can use a few drops of purple gel dye in the boiling water to achieve the gorgeous purple.
It’s completely safe as long as you buy the right fish. You just need to buy sushi-grade tuna from a trusted source. It needs to be flash-frozen specifically for raw consumption. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry it, grab it online from a trusted supplier.
Two things usually cause this. Either your oil wasn’t hot enough (it needs to hit 350°F), or the tapioca wasn’t completely dry. If there’s any moisture left in the center when you pull them from the dehydrator, they won’t puff.
Sushi-Grade Tips
- What to Ask: Just ask your fishmonger for sushi-grade bluefin. That phrase lets them know you need fish that has been properly flash-frozen and safely handled to eat raw.
- Trusted Online Suppliers: If your local grocery store does not carry high-quality, safe options, sourcing online is incredibly reliable. My go-to suppliers for buttery, perfect sushi-grade fish are Catalina Offshore Products, Yama Seafood, and Riviera Seafood Club.
- The Freshness Test: Lean tuna (akami) should be bright ruby red, while fattier cuts (chutoro) should have clear white lines of fat running through the meat. Give it a smell test. It should just smell like clean ocean water. If it smells fishy, don’t buy it.
Equipment
- saucepan
- small bowl
- Heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer
- Ladle
- Squeeze Syringes, optional
Ingredients
Tapioca Crisps
- 2 1/3 cups water
- 1.5 tsp butterfly pea powder
- 1/2 tsp dragonfruit powder
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup tapioca pearls
- 1 pinch salt
Tuna Cure
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 8 oz bluefin akami, sushi-grade
- 8 oz bluefin chutoro, sushi-grade
Beet-Ginger Mayo
- 1-2 inches ginger
- 1 beet
- 1/3 cup Japanese mayo
- 1 tsp white miso
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
Shiro Dashi Ponzu
- 3 tbsp shiro dashi
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Tuna Dressing & Assembly
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 scallions, chopped, white and green parts
- 1 lemon, zested
- neutral oil for frying
- 2 serranos, sliced thin
- edible flowers, to taste, optional
Instructions
- Make it Purple: Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Remove 1/4 cup of the boiling water and transfer to a heat resistant bowl. Whisk in the butterfly pea powder, dragonfruit powder, and cream of tartar until smooth. Stir the purple mixture back into the saucepan with the boiling water, combine.2 1/3 cups water, 1.5 tsp butterfly pea powder, 1/2 tsp dragonfruit powder, 1 pinch cream of tartar
- The Tapioca: Add the tapioca pearls into the boiling liquid (make sure it is boiling or it will turn to mush. Cook, stirring constantly, until all pearls are translucent. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if the mixture becomes too thick. Stir in the pinch of salt and mix well.1/3 cup tapioca pearls, 1 pinch salt
- Dehydrate Tapioca Crisps: Spread the tapioca mixture onto a silicone baking mat. Dehydrate at 140°F (60°C) for 4 to 6 hours until fully dried out. Break the sheet into smaller pieces.
- Grate and Squeeze: Peel your ginger and grate it. Place it in a fine mesh strainer and press down on it until you have 1 teaspoon of juice into a small bowl. Grate the peeled beet and do the same thing until you have 1 to 2 teaspoons of juice.1-2 inches ginger, 1 beet
- Cure the Tuna: Mix the kosher salt and sugar in a bowl. Coat the akami and chutoro evenly in the mixture. Refrigerate uncovered for 20 minutes. Rinse the fish thoroughly under cold water and pat completely dry.2 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 8 oz bluefin akami, 8 oz bluefin chutoro
- Purple Mayo: Whisk the Japanese mayo, white miso, honey, a pinch of salt, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger juice and 1 teaspoon beet juice in a bowl until smooth. Add additional beet juice until you have the color you like.1/3 cup Japanese mayo, 1 tsp white miso, 1 tsp honey, 1 pinch salt, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- The Ponzu: Mix shiro dashi, rice vinegar, mirin, and sugar in a small bowl until combined. Fill the squeeze syringes with the ponzu if using.3 tbsp shiro dashi, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp mirin, 1/2 tsp sugar
- Dress the Tuna: Cut the cured tuna into cubes. Toss the fish with light soy sauce, the chopped scallions, and lemon zest.1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 scallions, 1 lemon
- Fry the Tapioca Crisps: Heat frying oil in a heavy bottom pot to 350°F (175°C). Add your dehydrated tapioca pieces to the oil and press down in the center with a ladle for about 10 seconds. It should puff up and form a bowl where the ladle is. Remove and drain on a wire rack.neutral oil for frying
- Assemble: Scoop the tuna into the center of the tapioca crisps. Top with the beet-ginger mayo, serrano slices, and small pieces of edible flowers. Serve with ponzu on the side.2 serranos, edible flowers
Kitchen Cam
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
