Oka i'a

Name: Oka i'a
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 500 g tuna, sushi-grade, in 1.5 cm cubes; 120 ml lime juice; ¾ tsp salt; 200 ml coconut cream; ½ onion, finely chopped; 1 tomato, seeded, diced; 100 g cucumber, diced; 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped (optional); 2 spring onions, sliced (optional)

Non-vegetarian

Samoa's raw fish salad: cubes of very fresh tuna 'cooked' in lime juice, then folded through coconut cream with onion, tomato, cucumber and a little chilli.

Oka i'a is a Samoan salad, ready in about 40 minutes and made with tuna, lime juice and coconut cream. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

Cubes of raw tuna in coconut milk with lime in a wooden bowl — Photo: Arnaud 25 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 20 min
Total: 40 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 318

Ingredients

4 servings

500 g Tuna (opens in a new tab), sushi-grade, in 1.5 cm cubesSwap: White fish fillet (Any very fresh firm fish.)Contains fish
120 ml Lime juice (opens in a new tab)Mostly drained off before serving.
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
200 ml Coconut cream (opens in a new tab)
½ (55 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), finely chopped
1 (120 g) Tomato (opens in a new tab), seeded, diced
100 g Cucumber (opens in a new tab), diced
1 (6 g) Fresh red chilli (opens in a new tab), finely chopped (optional)
2 (30 g) Spring onions (opens in a new tab), sliced (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Toss the fish with the lime juice (opens in a new tab) and salt in a glass or ceramic bowl. Refrigerate 15–20 minutes, stirring once, until the outside of the cubes turns opaque.
- 3 min
Food safety: Lime juice does not kill parasites or bacteria the way heat does; use very fresh, sushi-grade or previously frozen fish and keep it cold.
2
Step 2
Drain off most of the juice. Fold in the coconut cream (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), tomato (opens in a new tab) and cucumber (opens in a new tab), plus chilli and spring onion (opens in a new tab) if using.
- 5 min
3
Step 3
Taste for salt and serve well chilled.
- 1 min

About this dish

Origin: Samoa · Commonly attributedCitrus-cured fish in coconut cream is shared across Polynesia (ota ika in Tonga, kokoda in Fiji, poisson cru in Tahiti); oka is the Samoan version.Also popular in New ZealandMore food from Samoa
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Appetizers & starters · Main courses
Cooking method: Raw, Marinated / cured
Taste: fresh, creamy, citrusy
Diet: Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Cook more with: Tuna · Lime juice · Coconut cream · Onion · Tomato · Cucumber
Techniques: Marinating · Curing

Allergens

Contains: Fishfrom tuna

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

318 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 255 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 41%
Carbohydrate 9%
Fat 50%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	318 kcal	125 kcal
Protein	32.9 g	12.9 g
Carbohydrate	7.5 g	3 g
Net carbohydrate	5.7 g	2.2 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.9 g	0.7 g
Fat	18.1 g	7.1 g
Saturated fat	15.6 g	6.1 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	49 mg	19 mg
Sodium	498 mg	195 mg
Salt equivalent	1.2 g	0.5 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 853 mg
Calcium: 22 mg
Iron: 2.3 mg
Magnesium: 66 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 37 µg
Vitamin C: 10 mg
Vitamin D: 2.1 µg
Vitamin B12: 2.6 µg
Folate (DFE): 24 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: fresh red chilli, spring onion.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Freshly squeezed coconut cream is traditional; a good canned cream is fine.

Serve with

Serve with boiled taro or green bananas at a Sunday to'ona'i.

Food safety

Not recommended for pregnant people, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system.

Storage

Eat the same day; keep refrigerated.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Tuna, sushi-grade, in 1.5 cm cubes500 g
Lime juice120 ml · 40 g
Tomato, seeded, diced1 piece · 120 g
Cucumber, diced100 g
Fresh red chilli, finely chopped (optional)1 piece · 6 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

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