Ceviche vs Tiradito: What Is the Difference?

Guests ask us this at the table all the time. Ceviche and tiradito are cousins. Both start with very fresh fish and fresh lime juice, and both come from Peru. Three things set them apart.

The cut

Ceviche is cut into cubes or bite-size pieces. Tiradito is sliced thin and laid flat, the way a sushi chef slices sashimi. That cut is the Japanese influence on Peruvian cooking, in one glance.

The onion

Ceviche is tossed with red onion. Tiradito traditionally leaves the onion out, so the sauce and the fish do all the talking.

The timing

Ceviche is mixed with its marinade, called leche de tigre, before it reaches you. Tiradito is sauced at the last moment, so the fish stays closer to sashimi.

Try both

Our Ceviche Mixto brings shrimp, scallops, squid and fish with choclo corn, julienne red onion and sweet potato. Our Tuna Tiradito is marinated with lime juice and aji amarillo and finished with cilantro, sweet potato and choclo corn. Order one of each for the table and taste the difference side by side. And if you love the marinade most of all, we serve Leche De Tigre on its own.