Fijian recipe
How to make Kokoda
The whole country, especially the coasts
Fiji's best-known dish: pieces of fresh raw fish soaked in lime or lemon juice until they turn white, then mixed with coconut milk, diced tomato, onion and chilli. It is served cold, often in a coconut shell or a clam shell. Similar raw fish salads are made across Polynesia.
Ingredients
- 500 g very fresh firm white fish fillet sold for eating raw, ideally previously frozen (freezing kills parasites), such as snapper or mahi-mahi, skin and bones removed
- Juice of 6 limes or 4 lemons
- 200 ml thick coconut cream
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- Half a cucumber, diced
- 1 small fresh chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt and a little fresh coriander
Method
- Cut the fish into 1.5 cm cubes and put them in a glass or ceramic bowl.
- Pour over the lime juice and stir in the salt. Cover and chill for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the fish is white on the outside.
- Drain off most of the juice. Mix in the onion, tomato, cucumber and chilli.
- Stir in the coconut cream, taste for salt, sprinkle with coriander and serve cold.
- Raw fish is not recommended for pregnant women, young children, older people or anyone with a weak immune system. For them, poach the fish cubes gently in simmering salted water until opaque, cool them, and then mix with the other ingredients.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
The citrus juice makes the fish firm and white, so it looks cooked, but it does not heat it. That is why very fresh fish matters.
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