Tahitian Sashimi: Raw Fish combined with French Polynesian Style

Christine Heriat

June 14, 2024

A plate of Tahitian sashimi with sliced Ahi tuna on a bed of shredded cabbage, served with spicy brown sauce, creamy orange sauce, and cucumber salad.

Since the ocean is so close, it’s no surprise that fish is everywhere in French Polynesia. The island’s coral-filled, crystal clear waters are bursting with many types of fish. This includes smaller fish, such as coral trout, who live in the lagoon, and larger fish, such as Ahi tuna, who roam the open ocean outside of the lagoon. The choices of delicious types of fish to taste feel endless.

With all the fresh fish available, the islands have gotten creative with their cooking methods. Local restaurants (“Snacks”) serve fish both cooked and raw, with a variety of sauces and seasonings. The locals take pride in dishes that include raw fish, as it highlights freshness. Raw fish also provides a cooling respite from the intense tropical humidity.

Our introduction to Tahitian sashimi was unique – it happened during dinner at our cousin’s house in Papeete. We found it to be a refreshing change from the other two main raw preparation methods: poisson cru and fish tartare. Tahitian sashimi is lighter than poisson cru, but heavier than fish tartare. This makes it perfect for dinner on a hot, sticky night.

Where to buy fish in French Polynesia

It’s tough to find fresh fish for sale, even with so much of it in the surrounding waters. Although there are some excellent grocery stores, these aren’t the best locations to find fresh catch. If you’re in Papeete and looking to buy fish, the best way to start your day is by visiting the Marche de Papeete in the morning.

Marche de Papeete is in the heart of the city. This central market boasts a brilliant mix of vendors. Downstairs, you’ll find fresh fish, seafood, and produce, and upstairs there are pearls, crafts, and trinkets. Folks from all over French Polynesia send their products to Tahiti for sale in this busy market. It operates as a type of permanent farmer’s market. A rotating group of vendors operates stalls daily. It’s like a mini Marche D’Aligre in Paris, but with products from French Polynesia.

Buying fish on the other islands is quite an adventure. Fish is not available in local stores, nor are there markets like Marche de Papeete. Instead, there are only two options. One is to ask around to find a local selling extra fish. The other is to keep a keen eye out for people selling fresh fish from their homes. Often, those selling fish from their homes hang the day’s catch from a clothes rack in their front yard. The racks sit along the road, in the shade, during evening hours. Cruising the island by bike and searching for people selling fish is a fun adventure. We’ve had success buying fish using both methods.

It can be harder to find Ahi tuna or Mahi Mahi by riding around on a bike because the most common fish types sold this way are those found closer to shore. Ahi tuna and Mahi Mahi are both deep-water species caught only by those willing to venture outside of the protected lagoon. To find those types of fish, it is easiest to ask locals for advice. The island’s tourist office is another excellent source.

Recipe history and accompaniments

Tahitian sashimi is made of sliced fish placed on a bed of shredded green cabbage served with a spicy brown sauce. The fish is sliced twice as thick as the fish for Japanese sashimi. Thicker slices are perfect for this recipe because they make it easier to appreciate the taste of the fish. They also help offset the spicier, heavier sauce that accompanies Tahitian sashimi. As a side benefit for home preparation, it’s easier to slice fish in thicker rather than thinner portions.

The sight of Ahi tuna sitting on a bed of shredded cabbage surprised us. It didn’t seem like a natural pairing. However, it works surprisingly well. The cabbage’s crunch balances the fish’s tenderness, and the cabbage’s mild flavor enhances rather than detracts from the flavor of the fish. Fresh cabbage is always available in French Polynesia. That’s because it takes a long time to spoil and is sturdy enough to survive a long boat trip. Cabbage also holds up well in the high humidity typical of French Polynesia’s tropical climate.

The unique brown sauce sets Tahitian sashimi apart from other raw fish dishes. You can clearly taste the combination of French and Japanese flavors that inspire it. The sauce is freshly made, either at home or by the Snack (café), rather than being purchased. When we attempted to purchase it, we found it wasn’t possible. There was nothing available in supermarkets that matched the taste of the recipe below.

Tahitian Sashimi recipe

The sauce in this recipe has an ideal thickness and flavor for Tahitian Sashimi. But you can thin it out to use it as a dressing. To do that, add water or citrus to taste, whisking to incorporate it evenly. We recommend serving the sauce on the side instead of on top of the sashimi. This gives the meal a more attractive presentation and allows each person to drizzle over their meal according to individual taste. You can also play with the flavor of the sauce by using different flavored Dijon-style mustards. If you are interested in trying that, please see the references and links section below for a few flavors that I have found to work well in this recipe.

This recipe is the ideal size for two as a main dish or four as an appetizer. You can easily increase it to serve more. While serving sticky rice as a side dish to this one as a main course is a good idea, it is too much when served alongside as an appetizer. To achieve the best results, it is recommended to top the fish with one of the crunchy toppings provided below. However, if you only have an overly salty topping available, we suggest using it sparingly or not at all.

The dish only works with fresh, high-quality ingredients because of the raw fish and simple flavors. In Tahitian tradition, people soak the fish in ocean water for thirty minutes to salt and tenderize it. Given how difficult it is to find ocean water for soaking outside of French Polynesia, we changed the recipe to include a saltwater brine. This step should not be skipped as it will lead to a finished dish with insufficient salt. The fish will also lack the desired tenderness. It is also important to ensure the fish is sliced against the grain, as this will also ensure the fish is tender.

A surprising study in contrast, the final flavor of the recipe combines fresh and rich elements with a mix of salty and spicy, as well as soft and crunchy textures. The sticky rice adds heft to an otherwise light meal. It also provides a simple backdrop from which to savor the umami of the dish’s other components.

Recipe

Sauce

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

1 inch of fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons of Dijon mustard

¾-1 ¼ teaspoons of wasabi paste

1 teaspoon of oyster sauce

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

¼ cup (60ml) of canola oil or other neutral flavored oil

Tuna brine

4 teaspoons of salt

4 cups (500 ml) of water

Tuna platter

1 pound (500g) of shredded cabbage

1 ½ pounds (750g) of sushi grade ahi (yellowfin) tuna

2 teaspoons of everything bagel seasoning⁽¹⁾ or crunchy rice topping⁽²⁾or a combination of black and white sesame seeds, chopped onion seasoning, and chopped garlic seasoning

2 scallions, dark green tops sliced

Makes 4 servings

To make the tuna brine, dissolve 2 teaspoons of salt in 4 cups of warm water. Refrigerate until chilled, 2-4 hours.
Transfer the piece of ahi tuna into a bowl and pour the tuna brine over it until submerged. Place it in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
To make the sauce, in a mini prep sized food processor or blender, combine all sauce ingredients and process until blended into a smooth, light brown sauce that has been lightened with some air, approximately 3-5 minutes.
Transfer sauce to a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The sauce can also be made up to two days in advance.
Spread shredded cabbage on the bottom of a serving platter.
Using a sharp slicing knife, slice the ahi tuna against the grain into slices which are ¼-½ an inch thick.
Arrange the slices of tuna in rows, with each piece partially overlapping the one before it.
Sprinkle the fish with the everything bagel seasoning, then scatter the scallions over both the fish and cabbage.
Serve immediately, with the sauce alongside.

For where to find certain ingredients, please explore the links below. I also welcome any thoughts or suggestions in the comments section below.

References and related links

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