Coconut basil pesto

Tam West

On a holiday in Fiji I enjoyed Taste Fiji Kitchen's coconut basil pesto, part of a shared lunch at Nadi Bay Herb Farm which grows basil in abundance. This is my version of the pesto, which is delicious with barbecued or pan-fried fish. It uses freshly grated coconut. See how to prepare a fresh coconut here.

Ingredients

2 cups	Basil leaves, well-packed (Main)
2 cloves	Garlic
¼ cup	Cashew nuts, toasted
½ cup	Coconut, freshly grated
½ cup	Extra virgin olive oil, see note below
1	Lime, for squeezing

Directions

1. Place the basil, garlic and cashew nuts in a food processor and process until roughly chopped. Add the fresh coconut, then drizzle in the oil. Season with salt.
2. Just before serving pesto, squeeze over lime juice and stir through.

Kathy recommends:Extra virgin coconut oil is even better than olive oil here. Use ½ cup melted and cooled coconut oil. However, you will need to make and use the pesto. The coconut oil will harden and set the pesto if placed back in the fridge.

More Fijian recipes from Kathy

• River prawns with raw tropical salad
• Curried pumpkin
• Ota salad with seafood and coconut 'miti' sauce