Robert Ortiz's salmon tiradito recipe is true to the chef's Peruvian heritage. Leche de tigre, or 'tiger's milk', originated as a by-product of making ceviche, but Robert's is made from scratch and blended with green rocoto chilli paste to add some heat to this fresh-tasting dish.
Soak the chia seeds in cold water for 12-24 hours until they double in size. Wash the seeds 3 times in a large bowl of water, changing the water each time. Strain well, add 10ml of water, a dash of olive oil and mix to coat. Store in a plastic container until required
5g of chia seeds
2
To prepare the leche de tigre base, blend the onions, celery, garlic and ginger with the water until a paste forms. Add the pieces of sea bream and continue blending until smooth. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least half an hour
100g of
sea bream, or other white fish, cut into pieces
3
Roughly chop the coriander and chilli and add to the blended base. Mix well, but try not to bruise and crush the coriander and chilli too much, or you will discolour the final leche de tigre. Set aside for 30 minutes, then pass through a fine chinois - pressing gently to extract the maximum amount of liquid. Stir in the lime juice and store in the fridge
To finish the leche de tigre, make a green chilli paste. Cut each green rocoto pepper lengthways to make 4 strips and remove the veins and seeds. Boil in water until the skins starts to peel off naturally - this usually takes 7-8 minutes
Strain and refresh in iced water. Strain again and blend with a dash of olive oil until a smooth paste forms. Combine 125g of the chilli paste with 45ml of the leche de tigre base, lime juice and mayonnaise. Whisk in the olive oil to emulsify and season to taste with salt
To prepare the salmon, cut the fish 'tiradito-style'. To achieve this, use a very sharp knife to cut across the grain of the salmon, to a thickness between sashimi and carpaccio (approximately 3mm wide)
Arrange the strips of salmon onto plates and season with salt, olive oil and the green leche de tigre. Finish with the chia seeds and micro cress and serve immedietly
Robert Ortiz is a pioneer of Peruvian cuisine, bringing the heady flavours and bright colours of his native country to an appreciative European audience.
