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Food

Fijian Kokoda of Snapper Recipe

This Fijian dish is similar to a ceviche, but amped up with a refreshing coconut-citrus marinade.
Fijian Kokoda of Snapper Recipe

"This can be served as part of a shared meal, but it can also be enjoyed by itself or with steamed rice."

Ingredients
1 mature coconut
1/4 cup water
8 ounces fillet of snapper
1 Roma tomato
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 long red chili
1 scud pepper
1 lime
pinch of kosher salt

Directions

1. First, extract the fresh coconut milk. Crack open the coconut by using the back of a heavy knife or cleaver right down the center. Split it in half. Discard the coconut water. You can drink it, although drinking from a younger fruit will yield a much sweeter and more nutritious liquid than this one. Now, using a coconut scraper—these can be found in you local Asian super market—scrape the white flesh out of the coconut. Stop when you reach the brown membrane. Put the grated coconut flesh into a bowl with ¼ cup of water and mix. Next, place into some cheesecloth and squeeze out the milk like a tea bag. You can repeat this process to maximize the yield of coconut milk. You should have about ½ a cup. Set aside until ready to serve.

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2. Prepare the snapper. Remove all skin, bones, and bloodlines from the fillet and cut into thin strips. Return to refrigerator to chill.

3. Deseed the tomato and and dice in to small ¼" cubes. Finely slice the shallots and scud pepper. Cut the long red chili length-wise, deseed, and remove flesh, leaving a small amount of flesh and the skin. Cut into very small strips.

4. Now it's time to assemble the dish. All the previous steps can be done in advance. Once you combine all of the components, you must serve it straight away.

5. In a bowl, mix the snapper with a pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons of lime juice to partially cook the fish. Add the rest of the ingredients.

6. Stir to ensure everything is mixed well and serve immediately in a small bowl.

7. Add a little more salt or lime juice if needed. The flavor should be sour, salty, hot, and rich from the fresh coconut cream.

From Fijian Food Is the Best Cuisine You've Never Had