Tahitian ceviche is raw fish marinated in coconut and lime. In Tahiti, it's called poisson cru (translation: “raw fish”). The Tahitian name for poisson cru is e'ia ota. The same dish is called oka i'a in Samoa.
I had this dish for the first time in Maui, Hawaii. I fell in love with it; it was my favorite thing I ate on the whole trip.
Tahitian Ceviche is similar to Latin ceviche (from Spain or Peru) or Hawaiian poke. Poisson cru is made with lime and coconut instead of tomatoes and avocado. Also, it only marinates very briefly (not for a whole hour) so the lime juice doesn't actually “cook” the inside of the fish.
Of course, raw fish is super nutritious, but adding coconut to it makes it even better for you.
If you're looking for a nutritious meal on a hot summer day, this is it.
Recipe Notes:
You’ll want to use high-quality fish for this dish — ideally “sushi grade”. I don’t usually use sushi grade (I just buy wild-caught frozen fish at the supermarket) and it’s always delicious, but the “sushi grade” fish is more tender and it will taste even better.
If you have access to fresh coconuts, break them in half and serve the poisson cru in the coconut halves.
Tahitian Ceviche
Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Fish, fresh or frozen: ahi tuna, halibut, snapper, swordfish, cod, shrimp, or scallops, or a combination, wild-caught, not farmed (1 1/2 pounds) — where to buy seafoods
Limes, organic if possible (4-5)
Coconut milk, full-fat (1/2 cup) — where to buy coconut milk
Carrot (1)
Cucumber (1)
Tomatoes, organic if possible (2)
Scallions (3)
Sea salt (to taste) — where to buy sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste) — where to buy black pepper
Coconut, unsweetened, shredded (4-5 TBS) — where to buy coconut products
Directions
1. If necessary, defrost the fish.
2. Cut the fish into 1/2-inch cubes and add to a non-reactive (glass or wood, not metal) bowl.
3. Rinse and dry the limes and tomatoes. Zest one lime and add to the bowl.
4. Juice the limes to make 1/2 cup. Add to the bowl.
5. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk to the bowl.
6. Peel and cube the carrot and add to the bowl.
7. Peel, seed and cube the cucumber. Add to the bowl.
8. Chop the tomatoes and add to the bowl.
9. Chop the scallions. Add to the bowl.
10.Mix everything together and let marinate for 10-20 minutes.
11. Drain excess liquid and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the optional shredded coconut.
12. Serve in bowls.
Photo credit: Air Tahiti Nui on Flickr
Yum! Thanks for the recipe!
Ooh my gosh, I LOVE cheviche !! YUM I will have to see if I can gapsify this, either way I am going to make plan cheviche into our menu next week !!
What is in this recipe that is not GAPS legal?
How do you break a coconut in half? We have never had any luck with buying a whole coconut.
You drill it in the eyes (or stab it with a poker) and pour out the coconut water, then drop it on cement or hard earth until it breaks open — or break it open with a hammer.
Yum! I ate and loved this when I spent time in Moorea; never occured to me to eat it here with frozen fish! Fabulous idea!
I’ve been on a mission to make this … sometimes I think you reside in my thoughts LOL Adding it to Tuesday’s shopping list. Craving it sooooooo bad. The combo of the coconut and lime is what has me drooling. I think I’l use Tuna since that’s what I seem to keep picturing. Can’t wait to feed this to my face! LOL Maybe it’s a labor thing- 11 days till I’m due. No freaking out people, I am very confident about my gut and eating raw foods while pregnant ;-)
YUM!!! I agree with everyone else’s comments- I have been craving this for weeks! Thanks for posting this!!!
So, if the fish has been frozen then that kills any harmful bacteria? If I buy wild caught shrimp or scallops at just a regular grocery store do you think I should be concerned? Would it be better to marinate in the lime juice for longer if the fish is questionable?
If I wanted to leave the coconut milk out, just increase the lime juice?
Cant wait to make this! My 3 year old is going to go nuts :)
This sounds delicious. If someone else made it for me I’d definitely happily eat it, but I have some kind of mental block about making raw fish dishes at home. It just scares me for some reason. I have to get over it, because this recipes sounds great.
Doooooo iiiiiiiit!!!!!!! :-)