Pickled vegetables are an essential part of the Lebanese mezze table, and in the Middle East many people make their own. You can buy a selection from a good deli, but try to get the best quality that you can find.
The tuna for this dish must be topnotch, and as fresh as a daisy. If you buy sashimi quality (which we suggest), it should already have the bloodline taken out. Otherwise you need to have it cut out, as it is bitter.
Traditionally kibbeh is made from very finely minced, lightly spiced raw lamb, and served with raw onion and fresh mint. It really works very well with seafood (salmon is good too), which is somehow more palatable to Western palates. The acid tang of the pickled vegetables helps to cut through the richness of the oily tuna, and also adds a good crunch.