Poisson Cru: The National Dish of Tahiti

Though the friendly people were the highlight of my recent trip to Tahiti, in close 2nd was my new love for the dish that seemed to pop up almost everywhere we went:  Poisson Cru.  Don’t let the name fool you (Poisson looks awfully similar to a word you don’t want in a recipe.)  This dish is not only delicious, but also HEALTHY, and…as it turns out– very easy to make!

Poisson Cru (pronounced Poi-sahn-crew) is similar in many ways to a Hawaiian Poke (pronounced Poh-kay).  (By the way, I totally make up those pronunciation things, and I have no idea the right way to do it!)  Poisson Cru is made up of fresh, raw sushi-grade fish, crunchy raw vegetables, lime juice and coconut milk.  Served with rice, this is an incredibly refreshing lunch, dinner, or snack.

If you don’t think you like raw fish, I urge you to have an open mind.  Though it is not “cooked” in the traditional sense, marinating the fish in lime juice causes a chemical process that effectively rearranges or “denatures” the fish’s proteins, (much like the application of heat.)  You can actually read more about how that works in this article I found about how ceviche works. 😉

My point is:  I think you’ll like this!

All of the ingredients listed below are approximate because it is that kind of recipe.  (play with it!)  I got this recipe from Marianne, the sweet woman I mentioned in my last post who had us over for dinner.  It is suggested you use fresh ahi for this, but any mild white fish would be great too.  I’ve heard that people also make it with crab, eel, or salmon as well!

Here’s the printable recipe: 

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Poisson Cru: The National Dish of Tahiti

Course lunch or dinner

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 5 -6

Author Monica Swanson

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds fresh ahi or other fish (sushi-grade, free of bacteria) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 a cucumber peeled, seeded, and chopped into bite size chunks
• 1 firm tomato chopped into bite-site pieces
• 1 bell pepper or 2 halves of different colors chopped into small pieces.
• 1 medium size onion chopped into small pieces
• Any other crunchy veggies as you like.
• juice from 4-5 limes
• 1 can coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse the fresh fish in cool water. Chop into bite-size pieces, and place in a bowl.
2. Squeeze the lime juice over the fish, stir and place bowl in refrigerator to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
3. <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span></span>While it <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span class="hiddenSpellError" pre="it " data-mce-bogus="1">marinates</span></span>, chop up all of the vegetables.</span>
4. Add veggies to the fish, and pour the can of coconut milk over the top. Combine well.
5. Serve over rice if you like.
6. ENJOY!

I’d love to hear if you have tried Poisson Cru before.  Also, I think you’ll want to PIN this to return to for a warm summer evening meal! 🙂  And I always appreciate it when you share with your friends using social media buttons below!

With Aloha,
Monica