Tiradito de Pescado Clasico

Classic Yellowtail Sashimi-Style with Ají Amarillo–Lime Sauce

A little heat brings all of the flavors to the surface in whatever you are cooking. With tiraditos, either quickly blast the fish slices with a cooking torch, or heat the back of a spoon over a gas burner and move it quickly over the top of the slices to barely cook the outer edges of the fish. Using a cooking torch really is easier, and you don’t have the trouble of the spoon sometimes sticking to the fish. The center of each fish slice should be rare, with a sushilike texture.

• 8 (¼-inch-thick) slices firm white-fleshed fish such as corvina, striped bass, yellowtail, paiche, or halibut, from a center-cut fillet (see page 80)
• ½ teaspoon pureed garlic (page 37)
• ½ teaspoon pureed ginger (page 37)
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• About ½ cup Ají Amarillo–Lime Sauce (recipe), well chilled
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• A few teaspoons wasabi tobiko or finely diced fresh cilantro stems (sidebar follows)

1 Neatly arrange the fish slices side by side on one large or four small plates with about ½ inch of space between each. If you are using a large, round serving platter, you can arrange the fish in a circle, like the rays of the sun, or use a long, rectangular plate and arrange the fish down the middle.

2 In a small ramekin, use your index finger or the back of a small spoon to mix together the garlic and ginger purees. Make a single swipe on the top side of each slice of fish with your finger, dipping it lightly back in the paste every time.

3 Swirl together the sesame and olive oils in a small ramekin and drizzle about ½ teaspoon on top of each slice of fish. If using a cooking torch, quickly sear each slice of fish for no more than 2 to 3 seconds each with the torch. The fish should barely begin to turn white on the top. Or, heat a large, stainless-steel spoon directly over the flame of a gas burner until scalding hot. (Choose an older spoon that you aren’t attached to, in case it bends or chars.) Quickly move the back of the hot spoon over the surface of a slice of fish, moving the spoon continuously so it doesn’t stick to the fish. Reheat the spoon and repeat with the remaining slices of fish.

4 Drizzle the ají amarillo–lime sauce on top of the fish, using about a scant tablespoon per slice, followed by the soy sauce. Sprinkle the wasabi tobiko on top. Serve inmediatamente.

Ají Amarillo–Lime Sauce

Makes about 1 cup, enough for 2 large tiradito plates

This sauce is the base for both the yellowtail and paiche tiraditos on page 91. Make one batch and try them both.

• ⅓ cup ají amarillo paste (page 34), or as needed
• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

“Poor Man’s Caviar”

In Japan, “poor man’s caviar” refers to tobiko, or flying fish eggs. In my kitchen, finely diced cilantro stems share the same honor. Both are inexpensive ways to give a dish a contrasting “pop” of texture. The natural, light orange tobiko eggs are my favorite, but use the green, wasabi-infused eggs when you want a spicy blast.

Finely chopped cilantro has a very different flavor than fish eggs, but brings a similar “pop” of texture to so many dishes. The key is to chop the stems as finely as you can.