Chef Makoa
Carpaccio de Atún Kahi (Rapa Nui Tuna Carpaccio)
Rapa Nui's kahi, tuna from the far eastern corner of the Triangle, sliced thin and dressed with lemon, olive oil, and capers. Same ocean fish, this island's modern bowl.
Culinary Explorer
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Kana Kana a la Parrilla (Rapa Nui Grilled Sierra with Kumara)
Created by
Rapa Nui's kana kana, the long sierra fish of the cold current, grilled simple over coals with boiled kumara. The far corner's weeknight plate, plain, good, and close to the sea.
Main Dishes
Polynesian, Rapa Nui
Weeknight
Quick Meal
Outdoor Dining
20 min
Active Time
25 min cook•45 min total
Yield4 servings
At the far corner of the Triangle, Rapa Nui sits by itself in the big water, but not alone. One ocean, one canoe, one root. The fish changes with the current and the island, but the law stays the same: take what the sea gives fresh, cook it clean, and feed the table without making noise about yourself.
Kana kana, the sierra fish, belongs to Rapa Nui hands here. This is not my home dish from Oʻahu, so I cook it open-handed and point you back to Rapa Nui families for the deeper stories. But I know the feeling of it: fish from the morning, salt, lime, fire, and kumara, the sweet potato that traveled the ocean and keeps showing up like a cousin at every table.
The grill is everyday food, not the umu pae, the Rapa Nui earth oven of ceremony. That matters. The umu by any name is one oven, imu in Hawaiʻi, umu in Sāmoa and Tonga, hāngī in Aotearoa, and on Rapa Nui the umu pae has its own old weight. This plate is easier than that, weeknight and outside, fish skin crisping over coals while the kumara boils soft.
No need make it precious. Buy the freshest firm fish you can, salt it like you mean it, oil the skin so it doesn't tear, and don't walk away from the fire. Eat what you have. If kana kana isn't at your market, a fresh Spanish mackerel, Pacific sierra, or firm local fish can carry the method.
Rapa Nui is the eastern point of the Polynesian Triangle, and its food sits at the meeting of old Polynesian crops, reef and open-ocean fishing, and later Chilean presence after annexation in 1888. The Spanish phrase a la parrilla simply means grilled, and on the island it can sit beside older Rapa Nui foods like kumara and the umu pae without turning them into something else. Kumara is one of the great food stories of the Pacific, a sweet potato that moved through Polynesian voyaging networks long before European ships mapped the ocean.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole kana kana or sierra fish
Quantity
4 (10 to 12 ounces each)
cleaned and scaled
neutral oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
plus more for the grill
coarse sea salt
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
limes
Quantity
2
1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
finely grated
fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)
Quantity
1 small handful
chopped
kumara or sweet potatoes
Quantity
2 pounds
scrubbed
butter or coconut oil (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
banana leaves (optional)
Quantity
for lining the platter
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole kana kana or sierra fishcleaned and scaled | 4 (10 to 12 ounces each) |
| neutral oilplus more for the grill | 2 tablespoons |
| coarse sea saltplus more to taste | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| limes1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges | 2 |
| garlic clovesfinely grated | 2 |
| fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)chopped | 1 small handful |
| kumara or sweet potatoesscrubbed | 2 pounds |
| butter or coconut oil (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
| banana leaves (optional) | for lining the platter |
Equipment Needed
- •Charcoal grill or gas grill with a clean grate
- •Wide fish spatula
- •Grill basket for whole fish, optional
- •Medium pot for boiling kumara
Instructions
- 1
Boil the kumara
Put the kumara in a pot, cover with cool salted water, and bring to a steady boil. Cook until a knife slides through without force, 18 to 25 minutes depending on size. Drain, split, and dress with a little butter or coconut oil if you like. The sweet potato should be soft and quiet, not mashed into a show.
- 2
Ready the fish
Pat the kana kana very dry, inside and out, because wet skin sticks and tears. Cut two or three shallow slashes on each side so the salt and heat can get in. Rub with oil, salt, pepper, lime juice, and grated garlic, working a little into the cuts and the belly.
If your fish came from the market already filleted, keep the skin on and grill it skin-side down first. Same fire, shorter time. - 3
Heat the grill
Build a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high, then clean and oil the grate well. You want steady heat, not flames licking at the fish. Hold your hand a few inches over the grate: three or four seconds tells you the fire is ready.
- 4
Grill the kana kana
Lay the fish on the oiled grate and leave it alone until the skin releases, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn gently with a wide spatula and grill the second side another 3 to 5 minutes, until the flesh flakes at the thickest part and the skin is browned and glossy from the oil. No poke it ten times. Let the fire do its work.
- 5
Rest and serve
Move the fish to a banana-leaf-lined platter if you have one, scatter over the herbs if using, and set lime wedges alongside. Serve with the boiled kumara while the fish is still juicy and the skin has its crisp edge. This is simple food, and simple doesn't mean careless. It means every part has to be right.
Chef Tips
- •Ask when the fish came out of the water. Fresh kana kana or sierra should smell clean, like the sea and almost nothing else. If it smells tired, no make it the center of the plate.
- •No kana kana where you live? Use a fresh whole Spanish mackerel, Pacific sierra, branzino, snapper, or another firm fish that can handle the grill. Name the swap honestly and keep the Rapa Nui dish in its own place.
- •A grill basket helps if you're nervous about whole fish tearing. No shame in tools. The point is to feed people, not prove anything.
- •Keep the lime bright and close to the table. Too much acid sitting on the fish before grilling can tighten the flesh before the fire ever touches it.
Advance Preparation
- •Scrub the kumara up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, but boil them close to serving so they stay sweet and soft.
- •Clean and scale the fish the same day you cook it. Season it 15 to 20 minutes before grilling, not hours ahead, so the flesh stays firm and juicy.
- •The grill can be lit while the kumara boils. That way the plate comes together warm, fast, and without fuss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 395g)
Calories
535 calories
Total Fat
20 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
15 g
Cholesterol
125 mg
Sodium
1100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
48 g
Dietary Fiber
7 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
40 g
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Fresh kahi from Rapa Nui folded with sweet onion and egg into Chilean-style dough, fried gold for the far corner's everyday hand pie: portable, salty, and meant for one more cousin.
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Heke (Rapa Nui Grilled Octopus)
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