Fish, elegantly sliced, no oven required
Tiradito—ceviche with a Japanese twist—is your new summer appetizer
My friends, summer is in its element right now…which means cooking is all about bringing together the season’s freshest food for simple, delicious meals. But simple doesn’t have to mean it’s not impressive or elegant, it just means you don’t have to spend a lot of energy or heat to create meals that speak to your heart.
Of course there’s always gazpacho (and of course I recommend Tichi’s, or if you have a jar of white asparagus hanging around in your pantry, that’s another good option)! Pan con tomate, a savory Mexican fruit salad, a Catalan bean salad, jamón of course, marinated olives, strawberries swimming in Sherry vinegar…look, I planned your holiday tapas menu for you!
On Monday, I talked about the different raw fish preparations you can find across Latin America, and I love them all! But today, I think a tiradito is the perfect recipe for both the heat and, if you are in the U.S., the upcoming holiday weekend. As I told you, tiradito is similar to ceviche, but its Japanese influence adds a little more finesse. Your knife work will be a little finer, as you’re slicing the fish similar to how you’d slice sashimi, and arranging it beautifully on a plate. You then add the toppings and pour the marinating liquid over everything, and it is a nice tableside presentation to impress your guests (and they don’t have to know how little time you spent making it!).
The recipe below is a simple and delicious tiradito that we’re serving during our Ceviche Festival at China Chilcano. Of course, every recipe is just a suggestion, so of course you can get creative (and I would love to hear if you do!). You might just convert the raw fish skeptic in your life!
Tiradito criollo
Serves 2