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Yellowfin Tuna Tiradito, Nikkei Style

Tiradito Nikkei

Lima’s Japanese-Peruvian kitchens slice raw fish thin like sashimi and dress it at the last second with a spicy leche de tigre of lime, ají amarillo, soy and ginger.

  • Prep 25 min
  • Cook No cooking
  • Serves 4 as a starter
  • Level Easy
Photo: Jorge Díaz from Berlin, Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0
Served with: Glazed Sweet Potato and Andean Corn ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the tuna

For the Nikkei leche de tigre

To garnish

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Chill everything. Put 4 plates and the tuna in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cold fish slices cleanly.
  2. Make the leche de tigre. Stir the lime juice, ají amarillo, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and sugar with the ice cubes for 1 minute. Remove the ice and taste; it should be sharp, spicy and a little salty.
  3. Slice the tuna. With your sharpest knife, cut the tuna across the grain into slices about ¼ inch (5 mm) thick, in one long stroke each.
  4. Plate. Fan the slices flat on the cold plates and sprinkle with a little flaky salt.
  5. Dress and serve. Spoon the leche de tigre over the tuna right before serving, scatter with scallions, sesame, cilantro and chili and eat at once with sweet potato and corn.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Peru

Glazed Sweet Potato and Andean Corn

Camote y Choclo

Thick slices of sweet potato and big-kernel Andean corn on the cob, the two sides every Peruvian ceviche is served with. The sweetness cools the lime and chili.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 30 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 medium orange sweet potatoes (camote)
  • 2 ears of corn (Peruvian choclo or sweet corn)
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • ½ tsp salt

How to make it

  1. Cook the sweet potato. Put the whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes in a pot with water to cover, the sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Simmer 25–30 minutes until tender. Peel and cut into thick rounds.
  2. Cook the corn. In another pot, boil the corn in unsalted water with a pinch of sugar: 15–20 minutes for choclo, 5–7 for sweet corn. Cut into thick wheels.
  3. Serve. Brush the corn with butter and sprinkle with salt. Arrange both next to ceviche or fried fish.

Photo: Dtarazona · CC BY-SA 3.0

More ways to cook Yellowfin Tuna

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Barbate, Cádiz, SpainTuna Smothered in Onions, Cádiz Style
Funchal, Madeira, PortugalMadeira Tuna Steaks
Boston Bay, JamaicaJamaican Jerk Tuna Steaks
Honolulu, HawaiiHawaiian Shoyu Ahi Poke