Scallop Tiradito Nikkei Style

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – What is Tiradito Nikkei?

Tiradito is a traditional Peruvian dish that’s often considered a cousin of ceviche. It’s made with thin slices of raw fish or seafood, and typically marinated in citrus juices like lime or lemon, and seasoned with Peruvian spices like aji amarillo (yellow chili pepper) and garlic. Unlike ceviche, which typically includes chunky pieces of fish or seafood mixed with onions, rocoto peppers, cilantro, and fresh lime juice, tiradito showcases thinly sliced fish arranged on a plate and topped with the flavorful marinade. The dish is known for its freshness, vibrant colors, and bold flavors.

Tiradito is considered to be a “Nikkei” dish. Nikkei cuisine refers to the fusion of Japanese and Peruvian culinary traditions, originating in the Japanese diaspora in Peru. Tiradito is one of the many examples of this fusion, blending the Japanese technique of thinly sliced raw fish (similar to sashimi) with Peruvian flavors and ingredients such as citrus juices and Peruvian chile peppers.

If Nikkei flavors sound delicious, you might want to check out my Latin ahi tuna tartare or this fresh tuna salad. Nikkei cuisine is a very exciting and trending cuisine!

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• scallops – You will want large sea scallops for this tiradito recipe. You will also need a very sharp knife. The scallops will be cut into 3 pieces horizontally. If you have “wet” scallops, you will want to soak them first in a mixture of water, salt, and lemon juice. (See FAQ below). This recipe will work just as well with salmon, halibut, or other firm, mild fish.
• sweet potato – Pretty photos are always my goal, and it can be challenging. I chose my sweet potatoes carefully and used a cookie cutter to make consistent sized rounds. You don’t have to do that! You can boil them (as I did on photo day), or roast them (my preference). I keep the slices thin at about 3/8″ so that they cook quickly.
• choclo corn – I can buy dried choclo corn, frozen choclo on the cob, and frozen choclo off the cob. I know you can get canned choclo, but I have not tried it. Any of these will work. If you can’t get any of the above, hominy is a better substitution than sweet corn.
• passionfruit purée – I keep passionfruit purée in my freezer as I use it in chilcanos, desserts, salad dressings, and main dishes. By all means substitute fresh passionfruit purée if you have a good source or can afford them.
• ají amarillo paste – Ají mirasol paste is a good substitute, but that’s about it. Ají mirasol is ají amarillo in dried form. You can get ají amarillo paste online. You can also make the paste with fresh or frozen peppers.
• fresh lime juice
• honey
• olive oil
• soy sauce
• ginger – I keep a jar of minced ginger in my refrigerator that I purchase at our Asian market. You can grate fresh ginger. Dried, ground ginger is not a good substitute.
• cilantro
• garnishes – I like to garnish the tiradito with a fresh batch of salsa criolla, some cancha (Peruvian popped corn), chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.

In the interest of clarity on the scallop tiradito, I did not include ingredients or instructions for the garnishes. The red onion over top is my salsa criolla recipe – a ubiquitous Peruvian salsa or condiment. NOTE: See FAQ below for information on how to pop cancha.

🔪 Step-By-Step Nikkei Tiradito Instructions

1. If you want to garnish with salsa criolla, you should make it first. NOTE: Salsa criolla is good for several days, so you can make it in advance.
2. Soak “wet” scallops if that is what you have. NOTE: Most scallops sold in the US are “wet.” Combine a quart of cold water, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of salt. Soak the scallops in this solution for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly, and pat dry.
3. Prepare the sweet potato(es) if you’re using them. Peel them, and slice into thin coins. Boil or roast according to your preference. Cook just until they’re barely tender. Rinse with cold water and drain them.
4. Prepare the choclo corn. The time you need to allow for this totally depends on what you’re using. My frozen choclo only took a few minutes in boiling water. If you’re using dried choclo, it must be cooked in advance, and should already be cooked. If you’re using canned hominy, rinse thoroughly to remove the starch, and drain.
5. Make the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a blender or processor, and blend until smooth.
6. Prepare the scallops. Pat the scallops dry. NOTE: You need a very sharp knife for this task. Slice the sea scallops horizontally into 3 pieces. The slices should be very thin.
7. Arrange the tiradito. Drizzle the sauce on the platter. Arrange the sliced scallops and sweet potato slices. Sprinkle choclo around the platter. Drizzle more sauce on top of the scallops. Garnish with salsa criolla, cilantro and lime wedges as desired, and serve with remaining sauce and cancha.

❓FAQ

Summer is fast upon us. In fact, today we hit 109° (real feel of 116°)🥵. I love to have a few recipes that don’t involve heating up the kitchen! We enjoyed this scallop tiradito as a main dish with all of the garnishes!