A Familiar <i>Survivor</i> Face

Keith Famie, the chef who was a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback, dropped by The Saturday Early Show March 30 to show how to cook up the kind of dishes you might find on the isle of Marquesas -- with help from the latest outcast from Survivor: Marquesas.

The first item on the menu is Poisson Cru, which Keith says quickly has become one of his favorite dishes. He always has appreciated the use of fresh lime juice in marinating fish and seafood, such as in ceviche. But the addition of coconut milk adds a new dimension to the dish.

Ron Sage of Painapo Beach gave Keith this recipe.

Poisson Cru
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
12 ounces tuna loin, diced
1/2 cup fresh cucumber, sliced, quartered
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 cup red pepper, stems, seeds, and ribs removed, julienned
1/4 cup yellow pepper, stems, seeds, and ribs removed, julienned
1/2 cup diced Roma tomato
1/2 cup white onion, julienned
1/4 cup chopped chives
salt, to taste
1/4 cup lime juice
1 fresh whole coconut
cheesecloth

Method:

1. Split coconut and grate the meat. You should get around 2 loosely packed cups of coconut meat. Reserve.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the tuna, cucumber, carrots, peppers, tomato, onion, and chives. Gently toss with hands.
   
3. Season with the salt and lime juice.
   
4. In the piece of cheesecloth, add the grated coconut. Then gather up the ends and over the bowl, wring out the milk from the coconut by twisting the cheesecloth tighter and tighter.
   
5. Gently toss the ingredients in the bowl again and serve immediately.

This dish was taught to Keith by a Tahitian named Taputu. It combines the subtle flavor of coconut milk with the Tahitian vanilla.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
16 shrimp, medium size, peeled, deveined, tail on
1 whole coconut
salt and black pepper, to taste
cheesecloth

Method:

1. Split the coconut and grate 1/2 a cup of coconut meat.
   
2. Place the coconut meat in the cheesecloth and wring out the coconut milk. Reserve coconut milk.
   
3. In a medium saute pan, melt the butter.
   
4. Add the shrimp and vanilla bean and let them saute for 2 minutes.
   
5. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
   
6. Season and serve