Motor Yacht Karima - Chefs Corner

Food & Wine Discovered

Exploring the food and wine of Tahiti and Her Islands

Tahiti uses four main ingredients in cooking - vanilla, lime, coconut and ginger. After that they have tropical fruits such as breadfruit, plantains (bananas), sweet potato, also fruits like mangoes, pineapples and papayas were introduced.

The Chinese arrived with their culture during the 1860s bringing their own food with ingredients such as rice, vegetables, pork and chicken. During the 1950's the French arrived with their language and customs including their love of good food and fine wine.

The result today is the mix of French, Chinese and Polynesian cuisine.

Vanilla Beans

The Vanilla is actually an orchid that produces a white flower between July and October. We sort the vanilla beans by length - bigger is better! In France we call it "the black gold of the pastry chef" as he uses it for many recipes. You have the vanilla bean, vanilla powder and extract vanilla.

Vanilla is easy to cook with it and can be use in all types of cuisine, exotic sauces, desserts and pastries. Vanilla can even be used in cocktails.

Chef - Jean-Marc Masson

Jean-Marc has worked aboard yachts for the best part of the last 9 years as a seasonal Chef. His colourful background in the culinary arts was honed by his work with one of the greatest Private Chefs in France, Monsieur Marcel Aluze. His style is of course French, but flavoured with Italian, Mediterranean, Asian and many international dishes gathered from voyages around the world.

It will be Jean-Marc's pleasure to serve all those aboard, so please feel free to make any requests or suggestions. And of course if there are any celebrations he'd be delighted to design a special dinner or perhaps make a cake for the occasion.

Tahitian Recipes

Poisson Cru

tahitian marinated fresh fish

A refreshing salad composed of fresh fish cut in bite sized cubes and raw vegetables marinated in lime juice and coconut cream (for 4 persons).

• 1 kg. fresh tuna
• 2 carrots
• 2 tomatoes
• 8 limes
• 3 small green onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small cucumber, the pressed cream of one grated coconut

1. Cut the tuna in cubes and rinse with salted water.

2. Let fish soak in the salted water in the refrigerator with the clove of garlic crushed, for a half hour.

3. Grate coarsely or chop the vegetables.

4. Drain the fish, then cover with the juice of the limes, allowing the fish to 'cook' for about five minutes in the lime juice.

5. Drain and discard the lime juice.

6. Add the vegetables and the coconut cream to the fish.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste. mix well, and serve chilled. Bon appetit!

Fresh Tahitian Vanilla Duck Foie Gras with Coconut Milk

this is my homemade recipe

• 4 scoops of fresh Foie Gras
• 250 ml coconut milk
• Vanilla beans
• Salt, pepper

1. Heat pan on high flame and brown the Foie Gras one minute on each side. Add a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Remove from pan and keep warm.

2. Add the coconut milk in a pan and the vanilla beans.

3. When serving, arrange the Foie Gras and pour the remaining juice over each portion.

4. Serve immediately either with a glass of Champagne or Burgundy wine.