Kokoda is Fiji’s version of ceviche, enriched with coconut milk to balance out all the acid. In this version, the fish “cooks” not in citrus juice but plain old white vinegar, which saves on limes and the time it takes to squeeze them. Once you rinse your pickled fish and dress it with a little citrus and coconut milk, no one’s the wiser.
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Fijian Ceviche (Kokoda)
Test kitchen director, Farideh Sadeghin, learned this recipe while working as a private chef in Fiji. Instead of marinating the fish in citrus juice to cook it, they used white vinegar to help speed up the cooking process.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless snapper fillet, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 3⁄4 cup coconut milk
- 1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 vine-ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1⁄2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, plus wedges to serve
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the snapper with the white vinegar. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes, then drain and rinse the snapper. Return snapper to bowl along with the coconut milk, cilantro, scallions, tomato, bell peppers, and red onion and stir gently to combine. Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.