SkipTheMid
Kokoda
Suva, Fiji
Fiji's answer to ceviche, and the quiet centerpiece of every lovo feast and Sunday lunch in the islands. Fresh reef fish (usually walu or mahi-mahi) is cut into cubes and 'cooked' purely by the acid of fresh lime and lemon juice, then drowned in thick, hand-squeezed coconut cream and tossed with finely diced tomato, onion, chili, and spring onion. The result is impossibly silky, bright, and cooling, the coconut rounding off the citrus bite into something almost custard-like. Unlike Latin American ceviche, kokoda leans entirely on coconut rather than oil or corn, a reflection of an island larder where the coconut palm is called 'the tree of life' and turns up in nearly every dish. It is served chilled in a halved coconut shell or a tall glass, eaten with a spoon, and is the kind of food Fijians make the moment a fishing boat comes in. Outside the South Pacific it's almost unheard of, lost in the shadow of better-marketed ceviches.
Ingredients
- 500 gfirm white reef fish (walu or mahi-mahi), skinless
- 120 mlfresh lime juice
- 60 mlfresh lemon juice
- 250 mlthick coconut cream
- 1 mediumtomato, deseeded and finely diced
- 1 smallred onion, finely diced
- 1 wholered chili, finely chopped
- 2 stalksspring onion, sliced
- 1 tspsalt
Directions
- 1
Cut the fish into 1.5 cm cubes, checking carefully for any bones.
- 2
Place the fish in a glass or ceramic bowl and pour over the combined lime and lemon juice until fully submerged.
- 3
Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, stirring once, until the fish turns opaque and firm ('cooked' by the acid).
- 4
Drain off and discard most of the citrus juice, leaving the fish just moist.
- 5
Gently fold in the coconut cream until the fish is generously coated.
- 6
Stir through the tomato, red onion, chili, and spring onion, then season with salt.
- 7
Chill for a further 30 minutes and serve cold in a halved coconut shell or glass.