Ota Ika (Tongan Raw Fish and Coconut Salad)

Ingredients

• 500g very fresh, sushi-grade skinless white fish fillet (such as snapper or mahi-mahi), or tuna
• 1 cup fresh lime juice (about 8-10 limes), enough to fully cover the fish
• 1 1/2 cups coconut cream
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1-2 small red chilies, finely diced (optional)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Before you cook

• Cut the fish into small, even 1cm cubes
• Finely dice the red onion
• Seed and dice the tomatoes
• Peel, seed, and dice the cucumber
• Thinly slice the spring onions
• Finely dice the chili, removing the seeds for less heat if you prefer
• Squeeze the limes to get about 1 cup of fresh juice

Steps

1. Place the diced fish in a non-reactive glass or ceramic bowl
2. Pour the lime juice over the fish so it is fully submerged
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, until the fish turns opaque and firms up
4. Remove the bowl from the fridge and drain off most of the lime juice, leaving only a couple of tablespoons behind
5. Add the coconut cream to the fish and stir gently to coat every piece
6. Fold in the diced onion, tomato, cucumber, spring onion, and chili
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste
8. Cover the bowl again and return it to the fridge for another 20 minutes to let the flavors meld
9. Give the salad one more gentle stir, then spoon it into bowls to serve cold