Fresh tuna, creamy coconut milk, bright lime juice, and crisp vegetables come together in poisson cru, one of the signature dishes of Tahiti and the wider Islands of Tahiti.
Known in French as poisson cru au lait de coco—literally “raw fish with coconut milk”—this refreshing dish is colorful, simple, and surprisingly satisfying. The Tahitian version is traditionally prepared with fresh raw fish, particularly tuna, tossed with vegetables and dressed with lime and coconut milk. Tahiti Tourisme describes it as a flagship dish of Polynesian cuisine and one you’ll find throughout restaurants, snack bars, food trucks, and homes in the islands.
The version pictured here is served generously with white rice and includes plenty of fresh vegetables, making it easy to turn poisson cru into a complete lunch or light dinner.
🌴 What Is Poisson Cru?
Poisson cru is one of the foods most closely associated with Tahiti. In Tahitian cuisine, it is also known as iʻa ota or, when prepared with coconut milk, iʻa ota haʻari.
At its heart, the dish is beautifully straightforward: cubes of very fresh fish are briefly exposed to lime juice, then mixed with vegetables and rich coconut milk.
It may remind you of ceviche, but the generous addition of coconut milk gives Tahitian poisson cru its own character. The coconut softens the sharpness of the citrus and coats the fish and vegetables in a creamy, slightly sweet dressing.
Although there are many household variations, fresh tuna is especially common. Tahiti Tourisme’s own home recipe uses red tuna, tomato, cucumber, onion, lime, and coconut milk.
🥥 Tahitian Poisson Cru Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Marinating Time: 10–15 minutes
Total Time: About 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tuna suitable for raw preparation, cut into ½- to ¾-inch cubes
- 3 fresh limes
- 1 cup unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1 small cucumber, seeded and cut into thin strips or small cubes
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- ¼ small sweet or red onion, very thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Lettuce leaves, optional, for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Cooked white rice, optional, for serving
🔪 How to Make Poisson Cru
Prepare the Tuna
Using a very sharp knife, cut the chilled tuna into bite-sized cubes. Try to keep the pieces reasonably uniform so that they are easy to eat and are exposed evenly to the lime juice.
Place the tuna in a nonreactive glass or stainless-steel bowl.
Add the Lime
Squeeze the fresh lime juice over the tuna and add the salt. Gently toss until the fish is coated.
Refrigerate for about 10 to 15 minutes.
You will notice the outside of the tuna beginning to turn paler as it sits in the acidic juice. Don’t leave it in the lime for too long if you want the soft, tender texture characteristic of a good poisson cru. Longer marinating creates a firmer texture and can overwhelm the delicate fish.
Most importantly, remember that citrus juice changes the texture and appearance of fish but does not make raw seafood equivalent to fully cooked fish from a food-safety standpoint.
Prepare the Vegetables
While the tuna rests, dice the tomato, slice the onion and green onions, and prepare the cucumber and carrot.
The photograph inspiring this recipe has a wonderful mixture of larger tuna pieces and thin, crisp vegetable strips, so I like cutting the cucumber and carrot into slender matchsticks rather than chopping everything into tiny cubes.
This gives the finished dish more texture.
Drain the Tuna
Drain most of the lime juice from the tuna.
You don’t need to squeeze the fish or get it completely dry. A little citrus left behind contributes brightness to the finished dressing.
Add the Vegetables
Add the tomato, cucumber, carrot, sliced onion, and most of the green onion to the tuna.
Gently toss everything together.
Pour in the Coconut Milk
Add the coconut milk and fold everything together until the tuna and vegetables are lightly coated.
Taste and add additional salt, pepper, or lime juice if needed.
The finished dish should taste bright and fresh, with enough lime to cut through the rich coconut milk without completely dominating the flavor of the tuna.
🍚 How to Serve Poisson Cru Like the Photo
To recreate the presentation in the photograph, place a few lettuce leaves on a colorful dinner plate and spoon a generous portion of poisson cru over them.
Serve it beside a compact mound of steamed white rice. You can make the neat rounded rice shape shown in the picture by packing warm rice into a small bowl or ramekin, placing the serving plate over it, and turning the two over together.
Lift away the bowl and you’ll have an easy restaurant-style rice mound.
Spoon a little extra coconut dressing around the poisson cru, garnish everything with sliced green onion, and add a lime wedge alongside.
The combination of cool, creamy tuna salad and warm white rice is particularly good.
🥒 Why These Ingredients Work
Poisson cru succeeds because relatively few ingredients provide strong contrasts.
Tuna gives the dish its clean, meaty center. A firm fish holds its shape when mixed with the vegetables and coconut milk.
Lime provides acidity and balances the richness of the coconut. Freshly squeezed juice is well worth using here because citrus is one of the dominant flavors.
Coconut milk transforms the dish. Instead of tasting sharply acidic like many ceviches, poisson cru becomes creamy and mellow.
Cucumber brings coolness and crunch.
Tomato adds juiciness, acidity, and color.
Onion adds a crisp, savory bite.
Carrot isn’t necessary to the basic Tahiti Tourisme version, but it appears consistent with the colorful vegetables in the photographed dish and is a common type of addition to home variations. Its sweetness and crunch work beautifully here.
Green onion makes a fresh finishing garnish and recreates the look of the dish in the photo.
🐟 Choosing Tuna for Poisson Cru
Because the fish remains raw, this is not the recipe for an ordinary package of tuna selected without asking how it should be used.
Buy your fish from a reputable seafood market or fish counter and specifically tell the seller that you intend to eat it raw. Follow their guidance about whether that particular fish is suitable for a raw preparation.
The FDA notes that freezing can destroy parasites in susceptible fish, although freezing does not eliminate every potential foodborne pathogen. Certain tuna species are treated differently from parasite-prone species under FDA guidance, but proper sourcing, handling, and refrigeration remain essential.
Keep the tuna refrigerated until you’re ready to prepare it and return the completed poisson cru to the refrigerator if you’re not serving it immediately.
⚠️ A Note About Raw Fish Safety
It’s worth emphasizing that lime juice does not actually cook fish in the food-safety sense.
Acid changes proteins in a way that makes the fish firmer and more opaque, but it does not reliably destroy all bacteria or parasites.
The FDA advises that the safest way to consume seafood is to cook it thoroughly. It also recommends that people at increased risk of serious foodborne illness—including pregnant people, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems—avoid raw or undercooked seafood.
If raw fish isn’t appropriate for you or your guests, you can still borrow the flavors of poisson cru by using chilled, fully cooked fish. It won’t be traditional raw poisson cru, but coconut milk, lime, cucumber, tomato, and onion still make a delicious combination.
🥥 Fresh Coconut Milk or Canned?
Fresh coconut milk would be wonderful if you happen to have access to mature coconuts and know how to prepare it.
For most home cooks, however, unsweetened canned coconut milk is the practical choice.
Choose regular full-fat coconut milk rather than coconut beverage sold in refrigerated cartons. You want the creamy richness of actual coconut milk.
Shake or stir the can thoroughly before measuring because coconut cream naturally separates from the thinner liquid.
And be sure you’re using unsweetened coconut milk, not cream of coconut, which is a sweetened ingredient intended primarily for desserts and drinks.
🌶️ Poisson Cru Variations
Once you’ve made the basic recipe, there is room for personalization.
For extra heat, add a little finely sliced fresh chile.
For more crunch, increase the cucumber or carrot.
For a stronger onion flavor, use red onion. For something gentler, use sweet onion or soak sliced onion briefly in cold water before draining it.
You may also encounter versions made with different fresh fish, depending on what is locally available.
What I would avoid is loading the recipe with so many tropical additions that the tuna, coconut, and lime disappear. Poisson cru’s appeal comes largely from its simplicity.
🌺 Poisson Cru and Tahitian Cuisine
Poisson cru isn’t simply a modern vacation-resort invention. Raw fish preparations have deep roots throughout Polynesia, although recipes and names vary between islands and cultures.
In Tahiti, coconut-milk poisson cru has become particularly emblematic. Tahiti Tourisme calls poisson cru au lait de coco a flagship of Polynesian gastronomy and describes it as the preferred dish of many Polynesians.
That broader culinary context is worth remembering. Polynesian food isn’t a single cuisine but a collection of traditions shaped by different islands, ingredients, histories, and outside influences.
You can learn more about the region in our Polynesian Culture: History, Traditions, Art, Language & Daily Life guide and our Polynesian Islands Guide: Hawaiʻi, Tahiti, Sāmoa, Tonga & Beyond.
🧊 Can You Make Poisson Cru Ahead of Time?
A little—but this is best treated as a freshly made dish.
You can prepare the vegetables several hours ahead and refrigerate them separately. The rice can also be prepared in advance and reheated or served at room temperature if you prefer.
Wait until shortly before serving to combine the tuna with the lime.
Leaving raw tuna in acidic juice for hours will continue to alter its texture, eventually making it much firmer than the tender fish shown in the photograph.
Once the coconut milk and vegetables are added, I prefer serving poisson cru promptly while everything is cold, crisp, and fresh.
❄️ How to Store Leftovers
Because poisson cru contains raw fish, careful refrigeration is important.
Keep it refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below, and don’t leave the dish sitting out during a long meal or party.
For both quality and safety, this is a recipe I recommend making in an amount you expect to eat rather than deliberately preparing a large batch for several days of leftovers.
The vegetables also begin releasing water as they sit, so freshly prepared poisson cru has the best texture.
❓ Tahitian Poisson Cru FAQs
Is poisson cru the same as ceviche?
They are related styles of raw fish preparation but aren’t identical. Both commonly combine raw fish with citrus, but Tahitian poisson cru is distinguished by the addition of coconut milk and its particular Polynesian culinary context.
What fish is best for poisson cru?
Fresh tuna is a classic choice and is used in Tahiti Tourisme’s recipe. Whatever fish you use, choose a reputable source and verify that it is appropriate for raw consumption.
Does lime juice cook the tuna?
Lime juice changes the proteins and texture of the fish, making its exterior look more cooked, but it does not provide the same food-safety protection as heat cooking.
Can I use canned tuna?
Canned tuna would create an entirely different dish. For classic poisson cru, use fresh fish intended for raw preparation.
Can I use light coconut milk?
You can, but full-fat coconut milk produces the creamy texture that makes the dish especially appealing.
What do you eat with poisson cru?
Poisson cru can be eaten by itself as a light meal or starter. White rice is an excellent accompaniment and matches the presentation shown in the photograph.
🌴 A Taste of Tahiti at Home
Poisson cru proves that memorable food doesn’t need a long ingredient list.
Start with excellent tuna. Add fresh lime, crisp vegetables, and rich coconut milk. Give everything just enough time to come together, and serve it cold with warm rice and another squeeze of lime.
The result is creamy but refreshing, substantial without feeling heavy, and full of the contrasts that make Tahitian poisson cru so appealing.
🔗 Related Articles
- Polynesian Culture: History, Traditions, Art, Language & Daily Life
- Polynesian Islands Guide: Hawaiʻi, Tahiti, Sāmoa, Tonga & Beyond
- Spam Musubi Recipe
📚 Sources & Further Reading
- Tahiti Tourisme — Cooking Raw Fish With Coconut Milk
- Tahiti Tourisme — 8 Specialities of The Islands of Tahiti You Must Try
- Tahiti Tourisme — Traditional Polynesian and Tahitian Food Specialties
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration — Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration — Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance
