This authentic Bahamian recipe uses coconut cream to give it its intense coconut flavor. If you can't find coconut cream, use coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil for cooking the vegetables. It will not be as potent, but it contributes a coconut aroma.

1 cup kidney beans
2 cups long grain rice, well rinsed
½ green bell pepper, seeded, small dice
½ red bell pepper, seeded, small dice
½ yellow bell pepper, seeded, small dice
½ white onion, small dice
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped and pureed, or 2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 handful cilantro, stems and leaves, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme leaves
¼ cup coconut cream (from an Island grocer)
Vegetable oil
Water

The night before, cover the beans with ample water and soak at room temperature.
The next day, drain the beans of their soaking liquid, place in a large pot with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for an hour or so, or until the beans are soft and tender.
Meanwhile, chop up the vegetables and combine in a bowl (not the tomato puree).
Heat up some vegetable oil in another pot and add the vegetables. Sweat the vegetables in the oil until soft and translucent.
Add the tomato puree and continue to cook. Next, add the coconut cream and the herbs and let the flavors meld for a few minutes. Pour in the beans with their cooking liquid and bring to a boil.
Tip in the rice and bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer until cooked through, about 1 hour.
Serves 4 people.

1 Thai coconut
1 clove garlic, optional
½ lb shrimp, shelled and de-veined
½ lb scallops
¼ lb tuna fillet
3 juicy limes (3/4 cup juice)
2 lemons (3/4 cup juice)
1 handful cilantro sprigs, rinsed well
1 T mint, finely chopped
1 more lime
1 jalapeno pepper, very small dice
1 T + 1 tsp. red onion, chopped into small dice
½ avocado
¼ tsp. salt
For the shrimp:
You can buy the shrimp already shelled, or even already cooked.
However, if you would like to make a tasty broth that adds more flavor to the dish, you should make a quick cooking broth as follows:
Thinly slice the garlic.
Once the shrimp are shelled and de-veined, rinse the shells well. In a small saucepan, fry the garlic with a lug of olive oil and then toss in the shells. Once the shells turn pink, cover them with water and bring the liquid to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Drain the broth.
Bring the aromatic broth to a boil and poach the shrimp until just cooked through and pink, about 1 minute.
Strain the shrimp, cool completely, and then slice in half lengthwise. Keep refrigerated until the end.
For the scallops:
Squeeze the lime juice into a plastic container or small bowl.
Rinse the scallops and remove their foot. Dry them off well and slice each one in half horizontally, and then into quarters vertically.
Once they are all sliced, put them into the lime juice and refrigerate.
They should sit for about one hour before you are ready to serve. If the scallops are fresh, they could be eaten raw. However, for this dish, the lime juice adds a nice flavor.
For the coconut:
Place the diced red onion in a small bowl with water and let sit while you prepare the coconut base.
Pour the coconut water into the blender.
Scrape out the coconut meat with a spoon and add it to the blender.
Blend the meat and water together until completely combined and thick.
Save a few sprigs of cilantro for the garnish, but add the rest to the blender.
Blend the cilantro with the coconut milk just until it turns pale green.
Strain the liquid into a bowl, pushing down with a wooden spoon, so that you get all of the milk out of the coconut.
Squeeze the remaining lime's juice into the coconut mixture.
Drain the onion from its soaking water, and add it along with the jalapeno and mint.
Finely chop the rest of the cilantro (about 1 T) and add it into the base.
Slice the avocado into small dice, and add to the base as well.
Season the base with the salt and taste it.
Now drain the scallops from their marinade and add to the base, along with the shrimp.
For the tuna:
Squeeze the lemon juice into a plastic container or small bowl.
Slice the tuna into small dice. Let them sit in the juice for about 5 minutes before serving. The tuna brings a nice color to the dish, and should be pink. It cooks very quickly in lemon juice, so if you want it more opaque, put it to marinate in the juice for longer.
To serve:
Drain the tuna from its marinade, and carefully stir into the coconut mix.
Pour everything back into the coconut, and serve on ice, with small martini glasses alongside.
Serves 4 as an appetizer, and 8 as a party dish.