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Market Fresh · Raw Fish Salad

Oka i'a

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This "raw" fish dish is actually cooked — just with lime juice instead of fire.

Oka i'a is fresh fish, often tuna, diced and briefly marinated in citrus juice until the flesh turns opaque, then mixed with coconut cream, onion, tomato, and cucumber. It's a fixture of Apia's Maketi Fou and Fugalei markets.

Why it's made this way: Marinating raw fish in lime and coconut cream let fishing communities turn the day's catch into a ready-to-eat dish without needing a fire, which suits both the climate and a market stall selling through the morning.

Roughly what's in it

300kcal
22gprotein
8gcarbs
20gfat
Estimated per typical street-vendor portion — not lab-tested.
Read it in context →

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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below. Photo credits.