To celebrate the end of Tongan Language Week, here’s how to make the classic Tongan raw fish dish similar to a South American ceviche.

‘Ota ika is an easy, delicious fish recipe that you would find at almost any Tongan function or family lunch.

Pair ‘ota ika with puaka tunu (pig on a stick meat), potato salad (if it isn’t with Best Foods mayonnaise, is it a real island potato salad?) and chop suey and you’ve got a typical Sunday meal in a Tongan household.

In Tonga, you can expect fishermen to head out to catch fish such as parrot fish for this meal. White fish is best, as many Tongans would say. The cook would fillet the fish by grinding the knife along the backbone to get the fish meat on the bone for the dish. 

That’s right, no deboning of the fish takes place, so it does get a bit messy when you eat the ‘ota as you’ll have to scrape the fish off the bone before you take a bite into it.

Tongans would also make their own coconut cream from scratch using the plentiful coconuts found around the village.

Here in New Zealand, most Sunday mornings my dad would head to our local fish shop in Māngere to choose the freshest snapper fillet available. He’s an ‘ota ika traditionalist – his snapper was never deboned. The struggle was real, enjoying the taste of his ‘ota while making sure I didn’t swallow a bone.

Rest assured; this recipe will still taste just as good without the bones.

‘Ota ika

Serves 3-5

• 3 snapper fillets
• 1 onion (or 1 bunch of spring onions)
• 1 package of cherry tomatoes
• 1 can of coconut cream
• 2 lemons
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 chili (optional)

For those who prefer to not worry about bones in their ‘ota, debone any remaining bones in your snapper fillets and give each fillet a wash.

Dice the fillets into cubes and add into a medium serving bowl.

Dice the onion into small pieces and add to the bowl.

Slice the cherry tomatoes into quarters and add it together with the snapper and onions.

NB: My dad prefers to use cherry tomatoes as they’re easier to slice, the amount in each package is the perfect amount for three snapper fillets, and they’re crunchier and juicier than regular tomatoes. However, any type of tomato is fine to use.

Before opening the can of coconut cream, shake it well to mix the cream and water inside together.

Add the can of coconut cream to the bowl and mix all the ingredients well until the snapper and vegetables are coated evenly in the cream.

Slice two lemons in half and place a mesh strainer over the bowl. Squeeze the lemons into the mixture, allowing the mesh to catch the lemon seeds and pulp (or use a lemon squeezer).

Add a tsp of salt into the bowl and mix everything together.

If the cream in the ‘ota is too thick, feel free to add 1/4 cup of water, adding a bit at a time as you stir to get a smooth, creamy consistency.

Enjoy and serve with your desired mains such as beef, cooked taro or kumara.

NB: You can add fresh, diced chilis to the ‘ota if you’d like to make it spicy.

This is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.