Instructions: Seafood Alternatives: halibut, snapper

Cut the tuna into 1/2-inch thick strips about 2 inches long.

In a large, non-reactive bowl (such as glass), combine the lime juice, coconut milk and salt and stir to mix. Add the tuna, carrot, cucumber, tomato, green onions, chives and lime zest. Stir to mix and taste for seasoning. Serve right away.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Comments: Like many traditional ethnic preparations, poisson cru is not so much a recipe as a style of preparation. It is a no-frills, beach-side style of recipe that takes advantage of just-caught, just-picked, ingredients: fish, a squeeze of lime juice, crisp vegetables. But with top quality ingredients enjoyed at their peak, a casual recipe like this can be a ticket to the tropics.

Always start with the best fish available-often tuna, but it could also be halibut or rockfish-and add fresh and colorful vegetables and herbs. The Tahitian addition of coconut milk is a distinctive touch that separates it from other raw fish dishes such as Hawaiis poke and the Latin American ceviche.

Unlike a ceviche that sits long enough for the citrus juice to penetrate the fish and "cook" it through, poisson cru is assembled quickly and enjoyed right away. The lime juice will turn the surface of the fish an opaque color, but the inside will remain raw.

Feel free to alter this recipe for your own tastes and ingredients that are at their bests. If red and yellow tomatoes are available, for example, use some of each in this recipe. Other herbs, red onions, slivered lettuces, diced bell peppers and minced hot chiles are a few other ideas for additions or alterations.

Sometimes a pinch of sugar is added to poisson cru to enhance the sweetness of the dish, but this can be done to taste. The recipe we suggest here does not include sugar.

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