Ika cured in seawater and coconut milk
Diced ultra-fresh raw fish, firmed in seawater then coated with coconut cream. Fresh, briny, melting: everyday fare when the sea is generous.
Diced ultra-fresh raw fish, firmed in seawater then coated with coconut cream. Fresh, briny, melting: everyday fare when the sea is generous.
No need for my stolen fire for this one, friend! The fish comes out of the water, I cut it with a shell edge, let it firm in the salty sea — the same sea that gave me back my islands. A cloud of coconut cream on top, and there you have it. When you paddle all day, you don't have time to stoke the stones: you eat what the ocean hands you. And the ocean, believe me, owes me that much.
- •Very fresh raw fish (tuna, bonito, snapper) — according to catch (base)
- •Clean seawater — enough to cover (saline cure)
- •Coconut cream (first pressing) — generous (creamy coating)
- •Sea onion / young shoots — a little (freshness)
Ika cured in seawater and coconut milk
Diced ultra-fresh raw fish, firmed in seawater then coated with coconut cream. Fresh, briny, melting: everyday fare when the sea is generous.
Why this dish? At the water's edge, where Māui cast his hook, the freshest fish needs no fire: it is eaten raw, just firmed by seawater and softened by coconut cream. It is the simple gesture of the fisherman — and Māui is the fisherman of fishermen.
No need for my stolen fire for this one, friend! The fish comes out of the water, I cut it with a shell edge, let it firm in the salty sea — the same sea that gave me back my islands. A cloud of coconut cream on top, and there you have it. When you paddle all day, you don't have time to stoke the stones: you eat what the ocean hands you. And the ocean, believe me, owes me that much.
Ingredients (period version)
- Very fresh raw fish (tuna, bonito, snapper) — according to catch (base)
- Clean seawater — enough to cover (saline cure)
- Coconut cream (first pressing) — generous (creamy coating)
- Sea onion / young shoots — a little (freshness)
Ingredients
- Extra-fresh tuna or sea bream (sashimi quality) — 400 g (base)
- Thick coconut milk — 200 ml (coating)
- Lime juice — 2 tbsp (acidity (modern addition))
- Sea salt — 1 tsp (cure)
- Cucumber + spring onion — 1/2 + 2 (crunch and freshness)
Method
- Cut the fish into regular dice about 1.5 cm.
- Mix with salt (and lime juice for the modern version) and leave for 10-15 minutes: the flesh firms slightly.
- Drain excess liquid, then generously coat with coconut milk.
- Add sliced cucumber and spring onion, gently mix and serve immediately, well chilled.
How it was made : Before citrus fruits arrived with European navigators, Polynesian raw fish (ika mata in the Cook Islands, oka, kokoda…) was simply cured in seawater then enriched with freshly pressed coconut cream. Lime is a recent refinement — hence the 'reconstitution' level.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a verrine on a large spoon, with a cress sprout and a shard of toasted coconut for crunch.
Sources : Nancy J. Pollock, 'These Roots Remain: Food Habits in Islands of the Central and Eastern Pacific'
Maui · Charactorium