Fish is on everyone's mind in the Maldives. The tropical island nation is abundant in marine life, and home to thousands of species.
Encountering these beauties face-to-face, either diving or dining, is an essential part of the Maldivian experience. But there is one species that rules this archipelago: tuna. Fishermen routinely net skipjack, yellowfin, little tunny and frigate tuna, so islanders and visitors alike encounter this protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
At The Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, Maldives in the Noonu Atoll, in the north of the archipelago, almost all its 11 food and beverage venues feature the fish. Tuna is given the Mediterranean treatment at The Trio, a restaurant perched on a lagoon.
Yellowfin tuna is barbecued at the beachfront Islander's Grill (where a giant pond accommodates live locally caught lobsters, crabs and reef fishes), while raw seafood is featured in the pan-Asian menu at Bamboo restaurant.
Despite the Maldives being a tuna nation, few hotels and resorts serve the fish as sushi or sashimi as consuming uncooked seafood is not part of the local culture.
That doesn't appear to limit the creativity of islanders when it comes to cooking fish.