Kokoda Vanuatu

Easy·25 min active + 35 min resting

Vanuatu fish 'ceviche' — fresh raw tuna or wahoo cubed and cured in lime juice, then mixed with coconut milk, onion, tomato, and chili. Served chilled. The iconic Pacific raw-fish dish.

Kokoda is the Pacific version of South American ceviche, with the addition of coconut milk distinguishing it from Latin American preparations. Found across Fiji, Vanuatu, and parts of Solomon Islands and PNG.

Spoon up kokoda — pale-cream fish cubes in coconut-milk liquid, jewel-bright red tomato dice, ruby onion crescents, green cilantro flecks. Bite: the fish is firm-yet-tender (lime has 'cooked' the surface), with sweet ocean flavor; coconut milk creamy-tropical; lime bright; chili back-of-throat warm; onion crunch; cilantro fresh. The whole bite is refreshing-rich. With a Tusker beer and a Vanuatu sunset, this is the South Pacific in one bowl.

Lime juice's citric acid denatures fish surface proteins (the 'ceviche' effect) — tenderizing while making the fish look cooked. Sashimi-grade quality is essential — sub-quality fish can carry parasites. Coconut milk balances acidity with creamy fat.

Variations

With wahoo. With mahi-mahi. With added mango (sweeter). With ginger. With less coconut milk (lighter). With added avocado.

On the Palate

Where Kokoda Vanuatu sits in the Vanuatu flavor cloud

Cook to learn

Watch the clock, not the color: the lime acid should firm the fish surface to opaque but leave the center silky — over-marinate and the tuna turns dry and chalky.

Techniques

Curing Marinating

Ingredients

Serves 4

500 g sashimi-gradeTuna

How it's made

9 steps · 25 min active + 35 min waiting

1
6 min
Cube 500 g sashimi-grade fresh tuna (or wahoo) into 1.5-cm pieces.
2
32 min
Marinate in juice of 6 limes + 1 tsp salt; refrigerate 25-30 min (fish surface will turn opaque).
Watch out
Pull the fish the moment the outside edges turn opaque-white while the middle still looks translucent — that's the sweet spot.
3
6 min
Meanwhile prepare additions: finely dice 1 small red onion, 1 tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 minced chili.
4
2 min
Drain fish (discard most lime juice but keep 2 tbsp).
5
2 min
Combine fish with diced vegetables.
6
2 min
Stir in 250 ml fresh coconut milk + reserved 2 tbsp lime juice + 1/2 tsp salt.
Watch out
The coconut milk should coat the fish in a loose creamy sauce, not pool thin at the bottom of the bowl.
7
1 min
Stir in 2 tbsp chopped cilantro + 1 tbsp chopped scallions.
8
12 min
Refrigerate 10-15 min before serving.
9
1 min
Serve cold in small bowls or coconut shells.