A Fiji festive recipe to try

Fijians love a feast! Readers of Death on Paradise Island have told me they enjoyed hearing about Fijian food. One said she couldn't wait to visit Fiji to taste the lovo!

Lovo

In Fiji, lovo spells feast. Every village has one or more communal lovo pits, where large quantities of meat, fish, vegetables and puddings are wrapped in banana leaves, arranged on hot stones, covered with more leaves and finally earth. Several hours later, the food is cooked to smoky succulence with no further attention. However, unless you have a large backyard and several helpers, you may not want to make a lovo at home.

Kokoda

Today, I'll give you a super-easy recipe you all can try. Kokoda (pronounced ko-kon-da) is a marinated fish dish like ceviche from Chile. Every Pacific island has its own version. It's great as a starter or light meal, and truly refreshing in hot and humid weather.

Ingredients

These quantities will make 4 starters or two mains.

• 400g firm white fish fillet, cut into 1cm cubes

• 1/2 cup lemon or lime juice, or combination

• 1 tomato, seeds removed, diced

• 1/2 small red onion, diced

• 1 spring onion, finely sliced, incl. green stalk

• 1 or 2 chillies, finely chopped

• 1/3 cup coconut cream (canned or frozen is fine)

• salt to taste

Method Mix the fish cubes and citrus juice in a bowl and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or overnight. The fish is ready when it is completely opaque. Drain the fish and combine with all the remaining ingredients. Serve in individual bowls or glasses. Garnish with parsley, coriander or chives and a slice of lime.

I love kokoda. Let me know what you think!

You can find more about Fiji on my website, in the Fiji Gallery and Fiji Resources page.

all the best,

Bernadette (B.M. Allsopp)

#Fijifood #lovo #kokoda #BMAllsopp