.jpg) ʻOta ʻika | |
| Alternative names | Coconut fish, Ika mata, Iʻa ota, Kokoda, Oka iʻa, Oraora, Ota, Poisson cru |
|---|---|
| Type | Salad |
| Course | Appetiser |
| Place of origin | Oceania |
| Region or state | American Samoa,Cook Islands,Fiji,French Polynesia,Kiribati,Nauru,New Zealand,Niue,Norfolk Island,Papua New Guinea,Pitcairn Islands,Samoa,Tokelau,Tonga,Tuvalu,Wallis and Futuna |
| Main ingredients | Fish,lemon,lime,coconut milk |
| Similar dishes | Kinilaw,kelaguen,hinava,poke,ceviche |
ʻOta ʻika is aOceanian dish consisting of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and coconut milk. TheTongan,Tahitian, andSamoan variants are essentially identical in that the raw fish is briefly marinated inlemon orlime juice until the surface of the flesh becomes opaque. The fish is then mixed with coconut milk and diced vegetables (most commonly cucumber, tomato, carrots, onion, green onion, and spicy peppers). This is the national dish of Tonga.
The dish is otherwise known ascoconut fish in Nauru,kokoda in Fiji and Papua New Guinea,oka in Samoa,ika mata in the Cook Islands and New Zealand,oraora in Kiribati, and simplypoisson cru on the French islands.[1] The word "ota" means "raw" within thePolynesian language group, although the more common term for the dish inFrench Polynesia is itsFrench equivalent, "poisson cru" (literally, "raw fish").[2][3] Any type of seafood can be used to make "ota," the word "ika" means fish ("i'a" in Samoan language), but the dish is often prepared withmussels ("ota pipi/maso"),prawns ("ota ulavai"),crab ("ota pa'a/paka"),lobster ("ota ula"),octopus/squid ("ota fe'e/feke"),sea urchin ("ota vana/tuitui"), andeel ("ota pusi").
A very similar dish are thekinilaw andata-ata of thePhilippines, and its descendant dish, thekelaguen of theMarianas Islands. Thepoke andlomi salmon ofHawaii are also similar. It is also similar to theLatin Americanceviche, though the latter is relatively recent and may be a derivative dish, as citruses are not native to the Americas.
