The essential dish of French Polynesia — poisson cru is raw yellowfin tuna (ahi) marinated in lime juice and coconut milk with tomato, cucumber, and green onion. It is extraordinary and found everywhere. Order it at every meal. Also try: mahi-mahi grillé, chevrettes (freshwater shrimp), fafaru (fermented fish — for the brave).
Why It Belongs on the List
Poisson cru is the national dish of French Polynesia and the most important thing to eat in Bora Bora: cubes of fresh yellowfin tuna (ahi) briefly marinated in lime juice to 'cook' the surface, then dressed with fresh coconut milk, diced tomato, cucumber, green onion, and salt. It is a premier dishes in the Pacific — clean, rich, bright, and entirely unlike anything available elsewhere. Every restaurant on the island serves it; quality varies only in the freshness of the tuna. Also essential: mahi-mahi (dorado) grilled over open fire; chevrettes (local freshwater shrimp, sweet and fresh); poisson grillé (whole grilled reef fish). The brave should try fafaru — fish fermented in seawater with sea urchin, a powerfully pungent traditional Polynesian dish that divides opinion absolutely.
What Stands Out
- Poisson cru — the national dish and essential order
- Raw yellowfin tuna marinated in lime and coconut milk
- Available everywhere — worth ordering more than once
- Mahi-mahi grillé — cooked over open flame
- Chevrettes — local freshwater shrimp
- Fafaru — fermented fish for the adventurous (divisive)
- The most important food experience in Bora Bora