Fish Salad With Shredded Coconut (Plea Moat Teuk)
Served for Cambodia’s special occasions—wedding receptions, elegant dinner gatherings, and big family celebrations—Plea Moat Teuk is a fresh starter meant to be enjoyed immediately after dressing. Often described as “Riverside Ceviche,” it pairs paper-thin fish cured in lime with fragrant toasted coconut, herbs, and a gentle savory-sweet balance. Unusual, bright, and deeply Cambodian, it’s a dish that feels both refined and joyful—made for sharing and remembered long after the last bite.
From my cookbook SAOY - Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine
METHOD
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Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Key flavors: lime, toasted coconut, herbs, savory-sweet
Serve: immediately after dressing -
500 g snakehead fish fillets
15 g (about 1 tbsp) kapi phao
50 g mixed basils (Thai, lemon, etc.)
250 g shredded coconut meat
50 g cilantro leaves
50 g roasted peanuts
175 ml lime juice
10 g salt
15 ml fish sauce
25 g palm sugar
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Grind the roasted peanuts finely and set aside. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add shredded coconut, and stir-fry for about 5 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.
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Cut the fish paper-thin. In a mixing bowl, toss fish with 150 ml lime juice and 5 g salt (reserve the remaining 25 ml lime juice and 5 g salt for later). Mix gently and marinate until the fish becomes firm and opaque, about 15 minutes. Gently squeeze the fish to release about 80% of the lime juice.
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Transfer the squeezed fish to a medium mixing bowl. Add the toasted coconut, kapi phao, fish sauce, palm sugar, and the remaining salt and lime juice. Toss to combine evenly.
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Place the salad on a large plate. Right before serving, garnish with ground peanuts, mixed herbs, and cilantro.
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Slice the fish as thin as possible and serve immediately—this salad is at its brightest when it’s fresh.
