Iik Käläl (Fish Boiled with Coconut Milk)

Mary Murai’s 1954 Majuro study records Iik kālāl in a Marshallese food list as fish boiled with coconut milk.

The study’s Marshall Islands fieldwork took place in 1951. Teacher trainees from several Marshall Islands helped describe local food names and preparations; the publication presents this item as a brief food-list entry, rather than a full recipe.

The entry establishes fish, coconut milk and boiling. It does not specify fish species, proportions, additional seasonings, a complete cooking sequence or how the finished portion is plated.

Raw fish with grated coconut, lime and salt, and a separate fish soup with breadfruit, arrowroot flour, rice and iu, are neighboring entries. Their ingredients are not added to Iik kālāl.

Before you order: ask which fish is used, what goes into the coconut milk and cooking liquid, whether other ingredients or accompaniments are included, and how the fish is cooked and served.