Tuna, Tuna Everywhere: Poisson Cru in the Hills of Mo‘orea
One of our favorite places to eat in Mo‘orea is just around the corner from our house Fare Iris, high above Opunohu Bay. Tropical Garden is part vanilla plantation, part tropical garden and part restaurant, with a spectacular view over the bay.
One of our favorite places to eat in Mo‘orea is just around the corner from our house Fare Iris, high above Opunohu Bay. Tropical Garden is part vanilla plantation, part tropical garden and part restaurant, with a spectacular view over the bay.
They grow their own pineapples, and the pineapple juice is wonderful. It is thick and frothy, almost like a smoothie, rather than the thin juice you usually get from a bottle.
We always order the poisson cru.
It arrives in a scalloped shell with a mound of rice alongside it. I particularly like that they serve it this way. The rice turns what could be a little bowl of raw fish into lunch, and the fish comes piled with vegetables and sprouts. I get my tuna, my rice and, quite reassuringly, a whole lot of vegetables.
By this point in the trip, we had eaten so much tuna that I was beginning to wonder if I might die of mercury poisoning. I had heard somewhere that rum was a good chelation method, which seemed like an excellent reason not to investigate the science too closely.
The Tropical Garden version has big pieces of raw tuna dressed with coconut milk and lime, with finely sliced vegetables and sprouts piled over the top.
What I love about this version is that it doesn't feel like a precious little appetizer. With the rice, it is a proper meal: cold, creamy, acidic, crunchy and filling without being heavy.
And the sprouts are important. They add freshness and texture, but they also make me feel like I'm being very virtuous while eating a rather generous bowl of coconut-dressed raw tuna.
My kind of health food.
Poisson Cru
Serves 4 as a main course
- 1 lb / 450 g very fresh sashimi-grade tuna (washed and patted dry), cut into generous ¾-inch cubes
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
- ½ small cucumber, cut into thin strips
- 1 small carrot, cut into fine matchsticks or grated
- ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 small tomato, small dice
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 cup fresh sprouts, such as alfalfa, radish or broccoli sprouts
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Put the tuna in a bowl and add the lime juice. Toss gently and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The outside of the tuna should begin to turn opaque, while the centre remains pink.
Drain off any excess lime juice. Add the coconut milk, cucumber, carrot, red onion, tomato, green onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and gently toss.
Taste and adjust the lime and salt. Refrigerate for 10–15 minutes so everything is thoroughly chilled.
Just before serving, pile the sprouts over the top. Serve with steamed white rice and extra lime wedges and a side of rice if you wish.
