15 Raw Fish Dishes From Around The World

When you think of raw fish dishes, sushi and sashimi might be the first things that come to mind, but did you know that nearly every corner of the world has its own version of this delicacy? Long before refrigeration, coastal communities developed ingenious ways to prepare raw fish using citrus, oils, spices, and curing techniques to enhance the flavor of the fish while keeping it fresh. Silky, delicate, and bursting with fresh ocean flavor, these raw fish dishes have become beloved classics in many cultures.

Raw fish dishes come in all kinds of styles, from the citrus-cured ceviche of Peru to Italy's simple but elegant crudo. Some are enhanced with bold spices and marinades, while others are served as fresh as possible with just a touch of seasoning. No matter the approach, these dishes highlight how different cultures have found their own ways to celebrate fish at its freshest. If you're looking to expand your palate, here are 15 raw fish dishes from around the world that are worth knowing about.

Visit any coastal town or city in Mexico and you'll likely find aguachile on offer at food stalls and restaurants. This spicy dish typically consists of seafood like shrimp, octopus, or diced white fish swimming in a lime and chile-infused sauce. It often comes with cucumbers and slices of red onion, as well as tostadas on the side to scoop it all up. The name translates to "chile water," which is exactly what the sauce is — chiles blended in water and mixed with lime juice. The raw seafood and veggies are tossed in the sauce and served immediately.

Interestingly, aguachile wasn't always a seafood dish. It comes from the mountains of Sinaloa where indigenous people would salt and sun-dry meat to preserve it for long trips. When it was time to eat, they would rehydrate the beef in water infused with fiery local chiltepín chiles. The technique made its way to the coast, where people began using it for fresh seafood. Today, you can find aguachiles featuring red or green chiles, as well as a black version that includes soy sauce.

What started as a humble raw fish dish in China has transformed into an extravagant, multi-ingredient affair that's a must for Lunar New Year celebrations. Yusheng means "raw fish" in Cantonese and the tradition of eating it dates back about 2,000 years. At that time, the fish was often tossed in peanut oil and soy sauce garnished simply with ginger, sesame seeds, and onion slices. The dish made its way to Singapore and Malaysia by way of Chinese immigrants in the 19th century, and that's where it transformed.

Yusheng got a facelift in the 1960s when a group of Singaporean chefs began adding ingredients like raw salmon, shredded carrots and radish, pomelo, ginger slices, peanuts, and crunchy crackers. The dish was already commonly served on the seventh day of the New Year, but a new ritual for serving it also developed. Now, each element is typically placed on a tray in a specific order along with a wish for the coming year. Before digging in, diners stand up and toss the salad high with chopsticks for prosperity.

Italian crudo is a simple but sophisticated dish that showcases raw fish or seafood that's lightly dressed with ingredients like high-quality olive oil or citrus juice. Crudo simply means "raw" in Italian and Spanish, and it can be used for any raw dish including fish, meat, and vegetables. Along the Mediterranean coast, you often find seafood crudo in the form of thin slices or cubes of tuna, sea bream, shrimp, and salmon.

If you've ever had carpaccio, then you've already tried a form of crudo. Carpaccio consists of paper-thin slices of meat, fish, or vegetables that are typically drizzled with olive oil or some type of citrus juice and sprinkled with salt. One of the most famous forms of carpaccio is tuna carpaccio, which often comes garnished with salty capers and sometimes peppery arugula. Variations could include ginger for a bit of zing, pistachios for crunch, or truffles for luxurious earthiness. Tuna carpaccio makes for a great appetizer, although you could also incorporate it into a salad for a light main.

Considering that Tonga is a kingdom of small islands surrounded by the southern Pacific Ocean, it shouldn't be surprising that the national dish features fish. 'Ota 'ika means "raw fish" in Tongan and that's the main ingredient in the dish. It usually features cubes of raw white fish like mahi mahi or snapper. The fish is marinated in lemon juice, then tossed with ingredients like tomatoes, cucumber, and onions. The final touch is a dousing of fresh coconut milk.

'Ota 'ika is an important part of Tongan celebrations, often served at feasts and special gatherings. It's also a staple at restaurants across the islands. Recipes can vary with some cooks adding ingredients like cilantro, chiles, green peppers, or taro. The base ingredients remain the same though with the citrus juice lightly curing the fish and the coconut milk balancing the acidity and giving it a creamy texture. You can also find similar versions of the dish across Polynesia like kokoda in Fiji, ia ota or poisson cru in Tahiti, and oka i'a in Samoa.

At first glance, you might not be able to tell gravlax apart from smoked salmon or lox. However, there are some key differences between the three raw salmon dishes. The main one comes down to whether the fish is cured or brined. Gravlax is made by dry curing salmon in a mixture of salt, sugar, and dill. Lox is typically salt brined, and smoked salmon is either brined and smoked or dry cured and smoked. The dry curing method gives gravlax its silky texture and slightly salty, herbaceous flavor.

Gravlax hails from Sweden and dates back to the 14th century. The name means "buried salmon," and it refers to the way people used to bury the salmon in the ground to cure and ferment it. Over the centuries, the technique evolved into the dry curing method used today. Some people put twists on the traditional recipe like adding lemon zest or alcohol. In Sweden, gravlax is often sliced thin and served with rye bread and a tangy mustard-dill sauce.

Poke (pronounced poh-kay) is a traditional Hawaiian dish featuring bite-sized pieces of raw, marinated fish, typically served over rice with a variety of toppings. The dish has become ingrained in Hawaiian culture and has gained popularity worldwide. The origins of poke trace back to indigenous Hawaiian fishermen, who would season freshly caught fish with sea salt, seaweed, and crushed kukui nuts for a simple yet flavorful meal.

Over time, poke has evolved to include many international influences. For example, poke was traditionally made with reef fish, but ahi tuna became popular after the arrival of Japanese fishermen in the 19th century. The Japanese also introduced soy sauce and sesame oil, which have become key components of many poke marinades. In addition, salmon from North America is sometimes used as a protein, jalapeños from Mexico can be a spicy topping, and kimchi from Korea is often incorporated into poke bowls. You can also find different forms of poke in Hawaii beyond just bowls like poke nachos, poke tacos, and poke masubi (rice balls). 

There's nothing better than a refreshing bowl of ceviche on a hot day. The dish consists of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and tossed with ingredients like herbs, sliced onion, and chiles. There's a common misconception that citrus juice cooks the fish in ceviche. What it actually does is breaks down the proteins, which causes the fish to firm up and turn opaque. This keeps the fresh flavor of the raw fish, but gives it a cooked-like texture. There are many variations of ceviche across Latin America, but the original was born in Peru.

Ceviche has a long history that stretches back roughly 3,000 years. Historians believe it likely originated near the town of Huanchaco on the north coast of Peru where fishermen would (and still do) eat freshly caught raw fish seasoned with chile peppers and seaweed. When the Europeans introduced limes and onions, those elements made their way into the mix. Today, Peruvian ceviche often includes white fish like sea bass mixed with citrus juice, onions, chiles, corn, and sometimes sweet potatoes or corn nuts.

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and it's divided between the nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. The northeastern tip of the island is home to the Malaysian state of Sabah where the indigenous Kadazan-Dusun people have a raw fish dish that's similar to ceviche, but unique to the region. Hinava is made from fresh raw fish (usually mackerel), lime juice, shallots, bird's eye chiles, julienned ginger, and grated bambangan seed (a local wild mango). As with ceviche, the lime macerates the fish, giving it a firm texture and tangy flavor.

You can find hinava at numerous restaurants in Sabah as well as the neighboring state of Sarawak where it's called umai. Depending on where you go, you might find variations like shrimp or squid instead of mackerel. Some people also add raw bitter gourd or a touch of sugar to balance out the spicy and bitter notes. Hinava is often served as an appetizer or as a main course with rice. It's also a popular dish to serve at special occasions like festivals and ceremonies.

To the uninitiated, the extremely pungent and slightly squishy rakfisk can be a bit much, but to Norwegians it's a beloved delicacy. It consists of freshwater fish (usually trout) that's been gutted, deboned, rubbed with salt, and left in a container to ferment for several months. As the salt draws out the liquids in the fish, it creates a brine that begins to break down the proteins in the fish. The fermentation process also creates amino acids and fatty acids that give the fish its rich flavor. Some describe the taste as savory, surprisingly mild, and a touch tangy.

November is usually the opening of rakfisk season in Norway, as that's when people begin pulling the fish out of its barrels and containers. It's a very popular Christmas dish, along with lutefisk, which is dried cod that's been soaked in lye and then water. Rakfisk is usually cut into pieces and served with lefse (a Norwegian flatbread), butter, sour cream, onions, sour cream, and boiled potatoes. Stiff drinks like aquavit are also usually on hand to help wash the rakfisk down.

Sashimi is one of Japan's most iconic raw fish dishes, yet it's often mistaken for sushi or used interchangeably with it. While both feature raw fish or seafood, the key difference is in the presentation. Sashimi consists of thin slices of raw fish served without rice, whereas sushi includes fish served on top of a mound of rice seasoned with vinegar or in a nori roll with rice. Sashimi simply means "pierced meat," and it can be any type of sliced meat or seafood, although seafood is more common. Sushi translates roughly to "sour," which is a reference to the vinegar-infused rice.

Sashimi making is an art form that requires precise knife skills to cleanly slice the fish into bite-sized pieces that enhance the texture and flavor of the fish. The quality of the fish is also paramount. Popular types of fish for sashimi include bluefin tuna, yellowtail (hamachi), salmon, and bonito. The slices of raw fish are typically served on a platter with wasabi, shaved daikon, and shiso leaves. Sashimi is often dipped in soy sauce or ponzu, although purists might insist on eating it as-is to savor the fresh flavors.

Kinilaw has been around for centuries in the Philippines and some believe it may just be the oldest culinary art on the islands. It involves tossing fish, meat, or shellfish in vinegar to cure it. Once the protein has firmed up, tart fruit like pineapple, calamansi juice, starfruit, or pomelo are added along with aromatics like ginger, onions, and chiles. Some people also add coconut milk to help cut through the acidity of the dish. It's light, refreshing, tangy, and can have hints of sweetness.

Recipes for kinilaw vary depending on where you go in the Philippines and who's making it. Seafood is abundant and varied across the archipelago, so you can find versions featuring everything from blue crab to tuna, mackerel, and scallops. The only constant is that the protein is raw and then cured in vinegar. It should be noted that kinilaw is not the same as kilawin, which is a dish featuring meat like beef, pork, goat, or organ meat that's cooked first, then seasoned with vinegar. 

Raw fish dishes often reflect the natural resources and survival needs of the regions they originate from, and stroganina is a perfect example. The dish comes from Siberia in the far northern reaches of Russia where the temperature can plummet to -40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Naturally, it's easy to freeze fish there and as the Yakut people discovered, frozen fish can be a delicious delicacy. Stroganina is made by freezing a whole raw fish, then skinning it and slicing off thin curls of the frozen meat.

Stroganina may seem simple, but there are a few techniques for getting it just right. For one, it should be fish that has a decent amount of fat like muksun (an Arctic whitefish) or salmon. In addition, you need a sharp blade to shave the meat into long ribbons of thin meat. Ideally, you want to eat the fish right away so that it's still frozen and melts on the tongue. It's often dipped in just salt and pepper. And like many delicacies in Russia, it's often followed with a shot of vodka.

If you love ceviche and sashimi, tiradito will be right up your alley. This raw fish dish is a classic example of Nikkei cuisine, which is a blend of Peruvian and Japanese culinary traditions. The cooking style came about after waves of Japanese people immigrated to Peru in the 19th century. Tiradito combines the bold citrus and chile flavors of ceviche with the delicate slicing techniques of sashimi. The result is a dish that has a silky texture with big pops of flavor.

Tiradito typically starts with sushi-grade fish like corvina, yellowtail, tuna, or salmon sliced very thin like sashimi. While ceviche is cured in a citrus-based marinade for about 10 to 15 minutes before it's served, tiradito is dressed with sauce just before serving so that the fish is still soft. However, the sauce is similar to ceviche in that it usually features lime juice or orange juice, ají amarillo peppers, and aromatics like garlic and ginger. Some people dress up their tiradito with items like cilantro, corn, and thinly sliced ají chiles.

Tuna tartare may sound like a classic fine dining dish, but it's actually a relatively modern creation. Tuna tartare's origin story starts with a chef named Shigefumi Tachibe who worked at Chaya Brasserie in Los Angeles. In 1984, the chef was confronted with customers who wanted to swap out the steak tartare on the prix-fixe menu for something lighter. Tachibe instantly turned to tuna, which was red like beef, and whipped up a dish using some of the same elements as a classic steak tartare. The dish was an instant hit.

Since its rise to fame in the 1980s, tuna tartare has evolved into many different forms. At its essence though it includes finely chopped raw tuna dressed in a sauce that usually has some acidity, salt, and creaminess. Tachibe's version includes a mix of mayo, green peppercorns, onion, Dijon mustard, capers, tarragon, and creamy avocado. In other spots, you may find that it has Asian flavors like soy sauce, wasabi, ginger, and sesame oil. Some cooks also infuse their tuna tartare with tropical twists like mango and passion fruit.

With thousands of islands stretching across the Indonesian archipelago, seafood is a main component of Indonesian cuisine. While most Indonesian fish dishes are cooked, gohu ikan is a unique dish that consists of raw fish in a tangy sauce. Gohu means "pickled" and ikan means "fish," and the name refers to the technique of marinating the fish in citrus juice. As with other many other raw fish dishes like poke and ceviche, the dish was created by fishermen who would cut up freshly caught fish and mix it with ingredients they had on hand.

Gohu ikan comes from the Maluku Islands and North Sulawesi in eastern Indonesia and it typically features flavorful fish like tuna. The raw fish is tossed in a mix of calamansi juice, bird's eye chiles, shallots, and salt. Additional ingredients can include coconut oil, pomelo, and herbs like mint or basil. The fish sits in the marinade for about 10 to 15 minutes until it's firm and has soaked up all the flavors. It can be served on its own or with crunchy rice crackers.