Alejandro Saravia’s Peruvian recipe for Cured King Fish Tiradito, on MiNDFOOD.
King fish 1 Kg
Zest orange 2
Zest lime 2
Table salt 1 cup
White sugar 1 cup
Tarragon 2 bunches
Pisco ½ Cup
Basil Oil
Basil 1 large bunch
Parsley 1 large bunch
Vegetable oil 1.25 Litres
Rocoto paste 0.125 Litres
1 Make the cure by combining the salt, sugar and pepper in a bowl.
2 Wash king fish fillets thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry. Set aside.
3 Lay out a 2 foot length of plastic wrap and place the 2 pieces of king fish side by side, skin side down. Spread any herbs, or aromatics, evenly over the king fish fillets. Sprinkle the fillets with a little of the alcohol, then spread with the salt/sugar/spices mixture. Press down gently to adhere.
4 Bring the 2 pieces of king fish together like a salt mixture sandwich. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap. Place packet on another piece of plastic and wrap again.
5 Place the packet in a glass baking dish. Place a small board on top and then weigh it down with either heavy soup cans or a foil-wrapped brick.
6 Refrigerate for at least 2 days (maximum 3 days), flipping the king fish package over every 12 hours and re-weighting. The king fish will shed a lot of liquid.
7 Once the curing period is over, unwrap the fish over the sink and gently rinse off the surface salt cure. Pat dry. Re-wrap with clean plastic wrap until ready to use. The gravlax will keep for several days, tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
8 When ready to serve, slice thinly on an angle with a sharp, thin-bladed knife.
Tips
• If you put the cured fish in the freezer for about 20 minutes before you plan to slice, it will be easier to achieve thin slices.
• For the basil oil: Blanch and refresh the herbs for 2 1/2 minutes, place the blanched herbs and the oil in a food processor and liquidise at full power for about 4 minutes. Pour the mix into an airtight container and leave to infuse overnight. The next day, filter the oil. It will take 2 – 3 hours, don’t squeeze the towel. Store in fridge for 3 – 4 days, or freeze in ice cube trays.
• For rocoto paste: Blend the rocoto paste with a lemon juice and a little bit of fish stock, salt and pepper.
