Similar to ceviche, ‘ota ika is a staple of celebratory buffet spreads. For Sela Atiola, making the dish keeps her bonded to her cultureIt’s a balmy mid-morning in Seven Hills, unusual weather for Sydney in July, where the subtle bites of frigid air are usually expected. Desperate for freedom, my two-year-old is engaged in a frantic one-way battle with the red straps of the Woolies trolley hugged around her waist, securing her safely to the built-in child seat. Her eyes are fixed on an empty play centre a few metres away, while mine examine the display of seafood that lies bare on a bed of ice in the Brothers Fish Market at Seven Hills Plaza.
“Prawns are fresh, sister! You try some?” asks the gentleman behind the counter. His eyes are the colour of Elkhorn coral and his charcoal hair is tipped with silver. The pronounced wrinkles across his forehead inform me that he can name every species existing in the bountiful waters off Australia’s coast. I wish I could ask him: “Do you know which fish I need to make ‘ota ika?” Instead, I respond: “Oh, I’m just looking.”
Unable to recall the type of fish that tastes best in this simple Tongan specialty and too embarrassed to ask my mum (she told me three times the previous day) I text my Tongan-born-and-raised husband: “Hey, I got everything for the ‘ota except the ika.” Internally, I scold myself: “The most important ingredient of the dish!”
Pushing my trolley and toddler away from the seafood, I continue texting: “There are too many to choose from. Can you grab it after work and I’ll take it to Auburn so Mum can make it tonight?”
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen, but it was never to help my mother cook. I was there purely to devour the fruits of her labour – a sapid feast of Tonga’s finest. I missed endless opportunities to learn about ingredients and observe the methods behind our cultural foods like ‘ota ika – a soul food, similar to the ceviche of Latin America, with many flavourful variations across Oceania. In the Kingdom of Tonga and here in Australia, ‘ota ika often sits among a spread of delectable me’akai (food) in the buffet of Tongan celebrations and it is a staple of Sunday lunch.
