Nigiri Acevichado

Nigiri acevichado belongs to the Nikkei sushi repertoire that took shape in Lima's Japanese-Peruvian kitchens through the 20th century, the same current that produced tiradito and the acevichado maki. Its character comes entirely from the sauce: acevichada, a blend of ceviche's leche de tigre with mayonnaise, generally credited to the Matsufuji cooks at the Lima restaurant Matsuei. The form is classic Edomae nigiri, but the seasoning is Peru's — a clear case of the Nikkei method, in which Japanese technique carries native lime-and-aji flavor. It is a contemporary sushi-counter item rather than a dish with a single founding recipe.

One clean bite: cool, slightly sweet-tart rice that just holds together, a slice of cold silky fish on top, and a glaze that is creamy and bright at once — the lime of the leche de tigre rounded by mayonnaise. A quick pass of the torch warms the fish at the edges and lightly caramelizes the sauce, and crispy garlic adds a savory crunch against the soft rice.

Good nigiri is about the rice as much as the fish: shari is seasoned warm with rice vinegar, sugar and salt, then hand-pressed just firmly enough to hold without compacting, so it falls apart cleanly in the mouth. The fish is sliced against the grain and kept cold for a clean texture. The acevichada glaze is an emulsion — mayonnaise carries and softens the acidic leche de tigre — and a brief torching does two things at once: it warms the fat in the fish for aroma and lets the sugars and proteins in the sauce brown for a faint caramel note without cooking the fish through.