Taste of Thursday: E’ia Ota

E’ia Ota, Tahitian Lime-marinated Tuna Recipe.

This famous Tahitian dish is similar to delicious Latin ceviche or Hawaiian poke. It differs in the addition of coconut milk, which slightly softens its flavor. Poisson cru, as the dish is most commonly known, only marinates very briefly so the lime juice doesn’t have time to “cook” the inside of the fish. The Tahitian name for poisson cru is e’ia ota. It is fresh, simple and reminds me of summer.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 kilogram highest-quality tuna, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tomato, seeded and diced
3 0r 4 scallions, chopped
pinch Kosher or sea salt
pinch freshly cracked black pepper

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients together in a large, non-reactive bowl and set aside to marinate for 10 or 20 minutes. Drain excess liquid and adjust seasoning. Garnish with some freshly chopped scallions and serve in a large clam shell!

Feel free to add red peppers, grated carrots, diced red onion, and minced garlic too.

Tip: Sometimes a pinch of sugar is added to take the edge off the acidity.

{image above: Paul Gauguin, Tahitian Women on the Beach, 1892}