Tuna kokoda: Raw tuna cured firm in lime juice for hours

Name: Tuna kokoda
Prep time: 63 min
Cook time: 127 min
Total time: 190 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vanuatu
Ingredients: 500 g fresh tuna; 6 limes; 250 ml coconut cream; 1 red onion; 2 tomatoes; 1 red chilli; 2 spring onion; 1 tsp salt

Raw tuna cured firm in lime juice for hours, drained, then bathed in coconut cream with onion, tomato and chilli.

How to make Tuna kokoda

Cut 500 g of sashimi-grade tuna into 1.5 cm cubes. The fish is never heated, so freshness is not optional.

Put the cubes in a glass bowl, pour over the juice of 6 limes, about 150 ml, and add 1 teaspoon of salt.

Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, stirring once, until the tuna is opaque and firm right through. This acid cure is the dish itself.

Drain the fish and throw away the lime juice, which has turned bitter and milky.

Slice 1 red onion thinly, dice 2 tomatoes, seed and mince 1 red chilli, slice 2 spring onions.

Fold the vegetables through the drained tuna.

Pour 250 ml of coconut cream over and mix gently, then taste and correct the salt.

Chill 15 minutes and serve cold, traditionally in half coconut shells.

What is Tuna kokoda?

Tuna kokoda is a traditional dish from Vanuatu, and takes about 3 hours and 10 minutes from start to finish. It is built around fresh tuna and coconut cream. The recipe below uses 8 ingredients and is written out step by step.

How long does Tuna kokoda take?

At 190 minutes it is slower than 71% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. Copper's atlas has 3 dishes built on fresh tuna. The method runs to 8 steps, the longest being 15 minutes.

Any tips for making Tuna kokoda?

Cure the tuna in lime juice until opaque and firm right through, then drain and discard the juice, which has turned bitter and milky.

How Tuna kokoda compares

Fresh tuna appears in only 2 other dishes in the atlas.

Cooked with the same thing elsewhere

Other traditional dishes built on tuna, from other countries.

Pastel com diabo dentro 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde
Kokoda 🇳🇷 Nauru
Brik 🇹🇳 Tunisia
Ota ika 🇹🇴 Tonga

Copper documents Vanuatu alongside 197 other countries. Every recipe is free to read, with the full ingredient list and every step.

Tuna kokoda recipe