'Ota 'ika
Introduction '''Ota ika''' is a Oceanian dish consisting of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and coconut milk. The Tongan, Tahitian, and Samoan variants are essentially identical in that the raw fish is briefly marinated in lemon or lime juice until the surface of the flesh becomes opaque. The fish is then mixed with coconut milk and diced vegetables (most commonly cucumber, tomato, onion, green onion, and spicy peppers). This is the national dish of Tonga.
Names * Cook Islands: * Fiji: * French Polynesia: , * Nauru: coconut fish* Niue: * Samoa: * Tokelau: * Tonga: * Tuvalu: * Wallis and Futuna: The dish is otherwise known as ''coconut fish'' in Nauru, ''kokoda'' in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, ''oka'' in Samoa, ''ika mata'' in the Cook Islands and New Zealand, ''oraora'' in Kiribati, and simply ''poisson cru'' on the French islands. The word "ota" means "raw" within the Polynesian language group, although the more common term for the dish in French Polynesia is its French equivalent, "'''poisson cru'''" (literally, "raw fish"). Any type of seafood can be used to make "ota," the word "ika" means fish ("i'a" in Samoan language), but the dish is often prepared with mussels ("ota pipi/maso"), prawns ("ota ulavai"), crab ("ota pa'a/paka"), lobster ("ota ula"), octopus/squid ("ota fe'e/feke"), sea urchin ("ota vana/tuitui"), and eel ("ota pusi").
Gallery File:Ika mata.jpg|Cook Islands Ika mata.Poisson cru à la tahitienne.jpg|Tuna Poisson cru, served on a banana leaf.File:Kokodafood.jpg|''Kokoda'' in Fiji
Similar dishes A very similar dish are the ''kinilaw'' and  of the Philippines, and its descendant dish, the ''kelaguen'' of the Marianas Islands. The  and  of Hawaii are also similar. It is also similar to the Latin American ceviche, though the latter is relatively recent and may be a derivative dish, as citruses are not native to the Americas.
See also *Kinilaw*Kelaguen*Hinava*Ceviche*Crudo*Hoe*Hoe-deopbap*List of hors d'oeuvre*List of raw fish dishes*List of salads*Lomi salmon*Poke*Tataki*Singju*Yusheng
Sources
Further reading *  "Ota ika (raw fish in coconut milk)", ''The Polynesian Kitchen''