Autumn is among us, which means that soup season is officially on. Which is why I was craving something fresh and summer-y.

Yes, I know, it makes no sense when it’s cold and damp outside. But fear not, that does not mean I’m having sauerkraut in the dead of summer! Let’s not overdo it!

That said, I still very much enjoyed this Tahitian meal. It was my little ray of sunshine of the weekend 🙂

Te i’a ota, or poisson cru, is a Polynesian specialty, consisting of raw fish and diced vegetables soaked in coconut milk and marinated with lime juice. As such, it is very much like ceviche as, in both cases, the fish is “cooked” in lemon juice.

I used sea bream, a type of fish that is fairly common in the Pacific, although you can very well use tuna or, if you find any, mahi mahi (a type of sea bream found mainly in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans). But in any case, the fish must be VERY fresh.

Serves 4

• 400g/ 14 oz. sea bream filets, skinned
• The juice of 6 limes
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 carrot
• 2 fresh onions
• ½ cucumber
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
• 250ml coconut milk

Rinse the filets and chop them into large dice.

In a bowl, mix the lime juice and oil. Season with salt and pepper, and add the fish. Cover with Clingfilm and allow to marinate about 10 minutes in the fridge.

In the meantime, finely grate the carrot. Deseed and finely chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onions.

Drain the fish and mix with the vegetables.

Add the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Allow to marinate for another 10 minutes before serving with a side of citrus and avocado.

Enjoy!