“Everybody loves a coconut!” says Torres Strait Islander chef Nornie Bero and presenter of
.
For centuries, the coconut palm — often called the “tree of life” — has sustained coastal and island communities worldwide, providing food, drink, and materials for shelter. Its history is as vast as the tropics themselves, carried by ocean currents and ancient traders, coconut palms took root along sunny shorelines from Asia to the Caribbean.
Islanders use every part of the coconut — “We take coconut to a different level… coconut is like a lifeblood. It becomes coconut oil, it becomes grated coconut, coconut cream, coconut milk — and then, when it becomes older, there is coconut flower… we eat the jelly, every stage of the coconut means something to us… we waste nothing,” says Bero.
In kitchens across the globe, coconut’s creamy richness and subtle sweetness unite tradition with innovation, culminating in recipes that capture the very essence of island living. Here are some eclectic recipes that celebrate the distinct flavour and nutritional benefits of coconut.
Namas is a Torres Strait Islander style of ceviche, with fresh fish cured in a mixture of coconut cream, lime and aromatics for a smooth and creamy change from more citrus-driven driven ceviche. Perfect for tropical-inspired summer entertaining.
Nornie Bero's Mabu Mabu cookbook features plenty of Indigenous Australian recipes that you can try at home. Source: Supplied
The key to this vibrant Sri Lankan salad is a fresh coconut sambal, made with the grated flesh of a coconut for a moist and chewy balance to the sweet and tangy pomelo, fragrant herbs and salty pops of salmon roe.
Smoked trout salad, coconut sambal and pomelo Credit: Asia Unplated with Diana Chan
While this soup may not be as well-known as Thailand’s famous sour Tom Yum Goong, this iconic dish is milky, refreshing, full of flavour – and extremely soothing.
Credit: Rob Palmer
Leave your favourite fish cake recipe to the side next time you’re entertaining and try these classic Javanese-style street food snacks. Made with white-fleshed fish mixed with freshly grated coconut and coconut milk along with candlenuts for texture and aromatics like ginger and galangal for extra fragrance.
Creamy and crunchy, all in one bite. Source: Supplied
Myanmar's comforting ohn-no khaut swe features tender noodles swimming in a rich coconut broth, garnished with crispy toppings. Customisation in toppings is encouraged, making it sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
Philippines’ iconic stew – adobo – gets a tropical boost in some areas of the country with the inclusion of coconut milk, transforming it to the rich and comforting “adobong manok sa gata” (chicken adobo with coconut milk).
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Enjoy Jamaica's tropical flavours at your next summer get-together with these tasty little flavour bombs. Jerk pork is skewered together with a mixture of watermelon, coffee, honey, orange juice, coconut water and freshly grated coconut.
Chargrilled jerk pork on watermelon and coconut salad Credit: Ainsley's Market Menu
Fit for a tropical feast! Australian giant mud crabs are prized for their large size and succulent, sweet meat – a real treat when combined with luxurious coconut milk and fiery chilli.
Credit: Jiwon Kim
Take your coconut love to a new level by making homemade coconut milk for this Fijian ceviche — scrape out the flesh of a fresh coconut, blend with water and strain like you would when making other nut milks. Then, it's just a matter of tossing together strips of snapper with chillies, cherry tomatoes, lime juice and salt, and you’re ready to go.
Fijian ceviche (kokoda) Credit: Sharyn Cairns
This hearty curry hails from Kerala in southern India – which, while not strictly an island, is a region with a coastal cuisine, where coconut trees grow aplenty. Black chickpeas are cooked with warming spices, tangy tamarind and velvety coconut milk. One to add to your curry rotation, and ideal for vegetarians.
Credit: Andrew Dorn
Vietnam's bold flavours and vibrant palette shine in this noodle and pork salad. It makes for an impressive plate for entertaining – or for a weeknight dinner upgrade where you'll relish leftovers the next day. The dish is completed with a coconut milk drizzle to bring it all together.
Credit: Chris Middleton
This colourful stew combines fresh cod and prawn with a balanced base of capsicum, tomatoes, coconut milk, fish stock, paprika and lime juice. Serve with garlic rice for an extra burst of flavour and chilli oil for an extra punch.
Brazilian-style seafood stew with garlic rice (moqueca). Credit: Comfort Food With Spencer Watts
This rich and sweet coconut extravaganza comes straight from the coconut palm-lined shores of Samoa. First you'll make a base of coconut bread, then drench it in a coconut milk caramel – and serve it topped with coconut flakes.
Credit: Ben Dearnley
Coconut and taro are a classic combination in many island nations – in Hawaii, they’re brought together in this coconut extravaganza, where layers of nutty coconut sponge are sandwiched with a rich and buttery taro and coconut milk filing.
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This shredded coconut-based staple sweet in the Dominican Republic is easy to whip up at home for a taste of childhood in the Caribbean.
Credit: Rock Point / Vanessa Moto
