Samoan Coconut Raw Fish (Palu Sami)

Palu sami, which means to mix with salt water, is the Samoan way of preparing raw fish: fresh catch diced, seasoned with sea salt, and folded through coconut cream with onion and chili. Where the better-known oka uses citrus to cure the fish, palu sami leans on salt and the freshest fish straight from the reef. It is a dish of the sea, eaten the same day it is made, often right on the beach.

What makes it great: the combination of silky coconut cream, sharp onion, and clean, sweet fish is electric — cool, briny, and faintly sweet all at once. A squeeze of lime and a scatter of chili wake everything up, making it the perfect appetizer for a feast or a light lunch on a hot day.

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