Salmon Ceviche with Coconut (Salmon Kokoda)

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This is our take on a classic Salmon Ceviche. This dish is a Fijian raw fish preparation with the star ingredient being Coconut Milk. The Coconut Milk really brings that beautiful piece of fish to life. In Fiji they typically would use a white fish (which you absolutely could use for this dish). However, we just simply love Salmon and have found the dish works exceptionally well with the beautiful, oily Salmon

This dish is not only unbelievably tasty but an exceptionally healthy dish. Perfect for an early week dinner to get some lovely nutrients into your body while still enjoying a brilliantly tasty meal. It is a very simple dish to prepare yet because it’s somewhat uncommon you’ll be sure to impress anyone you’re making this dish for!

What Salmon to use for a raw preparation

Just one thing to watch out for is ensure that the fish you’re purchasing is certified sashimi grade as this is essentially a raw preparation. Atlantic Salmon fillets are historically what we’ve used for this dish which are readily available in supermarkets and fishmongers so would be what we’d recommend

Depending on where you are in the world the best quality Salmon may vary, however. Our advice to get the best quality Salmon is to ask your Fish Monger what they would recommend. Let them know you are preparing the dish Raw, as that will likely narrow down the choice. For raw preparation fish we would highly recommend purchasing the fish from a specialized Fish store instead of a chain supermarket. You will get the specialized information required to make the right choice on the fish to use

Lime Juice in the Salmon Kokoda dish ‘cooks’ the Fish

While this is indeed a raw preparation, it is not unlike a Ceviche in it’s preparation. You cut the Salmon into lovely bite-sized chunks and let them marinade in freshly squeeze Lime Juice. The acid of the Limes will essentially begin to cook the fish. The longer you leave the Salmon in the Lime Juice, the more it will be cooked by the acid

We recommend anywhere between 10 minutes up to one hour for it to sit in the Lime Juice. This way your Salmon will take on a beautiful flavor of Lime Juice and it’s color will lighten to a very light pink color. Personally, for this dish, I like to add the sliced Red Onions into the Lime Juice along with the Fish. The Lime Juice will take a bit of the sharpness out of the raw onion, making it a bit more palatable for people who aren’t fan of purely raw onion

Coconut Milk is what makes the Salmon Kokoda truly authentic and unique

The traditional way that Kokoda is served in Fiji is with Coconut Milk. The Coconut Milk adds a luscious creaminess to the overall dish and gives it more body. It’s a great addition to this recipe, and not an uncommon ingredient that is included in Ceviche’s and other Seafood recipes all over the world

The process is so easy too. Just add the Coconut Milk into the bowl with your marinated Salmon along with your freshly cut vegetables. Mix it around then serve immediately. One of the great parts of cooking raw dishes is the lack of cooking needed. Liberally mix all these lovely ingredients together and eat them. It couldn’t be simpler!

While not traditional to the Salmon Kokoda dish – we like adding Jalapenos

There’s nothing quite like a bit of spice to give a raw fish dish a bit of depth. Depending on your spice tolerance you can adjust the quantities, and even the type of chili you can add to the dish. We prefer to use Jalapenos. They are not super-hot, especially when the seeds are removed which is what we recommend. 1 Jalapeno is more than enough too. Simply slice the Jalapeno up into thin pieces then add it, raw, to the rest of the dish

If you want your Salmon Ceviche to be spicier, add different types of chilis (Habaneros for example) and adjust how many of the seeds to keep in the dish. Our advice would be to add the spice gradually and taste as you go. It is always better to under spice a dish and adjust it, than to over spice where you just must eat it!

Serve this dish as is, or with a side of Bread

While this recipe is enough to heartily feed 2 people, you have the option of serving this dish with some fresh bread. IF you’re in a pinch an easy choice is simply to use Frozen Garlic Bread from the supermarket freezer. Garlic Bread is a great pairing with Salmon Kokoda, as the buttery-ness of the Garlic Bread does well to contrast with the sharpness of the acid in this dish

Another great option is to make our delicious Homemade Garlic Knots. They’re great with the Salmon Kokoda, as well as being super delicious by themselves!

Salmon Ceviche with Coconut Recipe

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs. Atlantic Salmon, skin and bones removed
• 400ml (14 fl. oz) Coconut Milk
• 1 Jalapeno, de-seeded and sliced
• ½ Red Onion, sliced
• 1 Bell Pepper, diced
• Juice of 3 Limes
• ½ Cucumber, diced and de-seeded
• 4 Ripe Tomatoes, diced and de-seeded
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Begin by cutting the Salmon into ½ inch thick bite sized squares and place into a medium sized bowl with 2 tsp. of Salt to lightly cure. After about 5 minutes pour in the Lime juice (leaving about ½ of 1 lime juice remaining) and mix thoroughly. The acidity of the Lime Juice will ‘cook’ the Salmon.
2. In a separate bowl combine the Bell Peppers, Onion, Jalapeno, and the remaining Lime juice with a sprinkle of Salt and mix to combine. After 5 minutes add the Tomatoes and Cucumber and mix throughout
3. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and mix through the Coconut Milk. Taste for seasoning and adjust if required by adding more Lime Juice or Salt. Once you’re happy with the flavor it’s good to serve!
   
   

If your Salmon has the skin on, not to worry! Please head over to our YouTube channel where we have a simple video on how to properly take off Salmon Skin. Easy!

I love serving this dish with something crunchy. Either Garlic Bread or some crispy Tortilla Chips which you can easily whip up by just heating up in a pan for a couple of minutes. Check out our sides page for some inspiration on what to pair with this delicious Salmon Ceviche dish

Check out our Seafood recipes for more great recipes using fresh Seafood. If you’re looking for more recipes using Seafood that is served cold, here are a few of our favorites that we highly recommend you check out

• Homemade Tuna Tartare
• Best Sauce for Oysters
• Spot Prawn Ceviche with Garlic and Chili
• Shrimp Cocktail
  
  

Happy Cooking!