This is a recipe for poke! Also known as the thing I like to eat when I want to pretend I’m a surfer babe who lives in a beach shack with my girlfriend in Hawaii. Have I been to Hawaii? No. Can I pretend? Yes. The best part about this recipe is that it’s hardly a recipe. It’s everything into a bowl, into the fridge, then into your mouth. That’s how I roll.
First a quick lesson on poke (pronounced po-kay). Poke is a raw seafood salad (similar to ceviche) consumed by pretty much everyone in Hawaii. Many varieties of seafood are used to make poke, but from what I’ve learned Ahi tuna is the most common. This is my variation on the traditional recipes!
Whatcha Need:
(Serves 2)
+ 1 sashimi grade Ahi (yellowfin) tuna steak, cubed (about 1/2 inch cubes)
+ 1 avocado, cubed (I used a Haas avocado)
+ 1 small yellow onion, diced
+ a small bunch of scallions, chopped (I used both the white and green parts)
+ a couple sheets of crumpled seaweed (nori)
+ handful of chopped macademia nuts
+ 1/4 cup soy sauce
+ 1 tsp. sesame oil
+ 1 tsp. sriracha (or more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
+ 1/2 T sesame seeds
Get down to business:
1. All the ingredients into a bowl
2. Bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes
3. Eat!
Special thanks to my friend Crystal, who was born and raised in Hawaii, for coming over and assuring me that my poke recipe was legit!
Gabi enjoys some executive Hawaiian realness
About the author: Gabi is a Florida girl living in NYC for culinary school. She worships condiments and eats a lot of things. Mostly tacos. She blogs about food and life at The Pedigree of Honey.
I’ve been playing too much Katamari so all I saw was ‘everything into a bowl, into the fridge’ and something about rolling and I got REALLY excited.
But actually this looks delicious, although I don’t trust the seafood here. This would be great to make for coastal straddlers!
haha! unfortunately this post is not about rolling around in a big sticky ball in an attempt to rebuild the galaxy :(
One can dream though. :)
this looks SO GOOD.
two questions:
1. where can i buy sashimi grade tuna in nyc? i’m sure there are a million places but i’ve never bought raw seafood for myself because i’m a super anxious person and i just don’t know. is this a whole foods sort of situation? are there cheaper options? i’m sorry i’m sure this is an idiotic question i just need help.
2. gabi, can we be friends please?
Hi Vanessa!
1) I know it seems kind of sketchy but there is nothing to fear! I buy mine at Whole Foods,sometimes at Union Market. It was kinda pricey though. I’m sure there are other places, I just don’t know where! It’s probably better to shell out a little more for raw seafood though – knowwhatImean??
2) Yes please, I love friends! :)
Most fish markets, particularly if they sell sushi or pre-cut fillets, will have a stash of sushi-grade cuts if you ask for them.
There’s also a couple Japanese grocery stores around E. 9th street (I want to say Sunrise Mart, but don’t quote me on that) that will definitely have it.
thank you gabi & liz! poke, here i come!
You can also try H-mart in K-town. And there’s also a SeaBreeze fish market on… W.42nd & 9th I believe?
And can I get in on this whole friendship thing too? Most of my queer friends in the city are males and I need me some queer lady amigas!
I can woo you with Colombian food! :D
awesome, thank you for the additional recommendations! and yes, of course you can get in on the friendship thing — come to the next nyc autostraddle meetup, and please please please woo me with any/all food!
Tatiana, From one latina to another – friendship request accepted!
I had poke when I was in Hawaii and fell in love with it, but I always thought I’d have to wait till I was in Hawaii again (read: never) to have it again. So excited to try this. And Gabi, how cute are you?!
Thanks Riggby! :) Ahh I hope it stands up to your Hawaiian poke memories! If not, lets just take a field trip to Hawaii – for “research.”
I grew up on this as a kid, and absolutely love poke. Half of my family is from Hawaii, born and raised, and I got to experience all the good food growing up. The macadamia nuts are less traditional, but I bet they’re a good addition.
I like to eat my poke with japanese rice crackers or on top of steamed white rice.
Jealous of your life! Mmmmmm rice crackers! Going in my next poke for sure! I definitely like crunch – hence the addition of the nuts! :)
The rice crackers don’t go in the poke. They would get soggy. They’re just the perfect platform from bowl to mouth with the added crunch.
Oh I see, like a poke vehicle. Noted!
Poke seems a lot like chirashizushi! It seems like the biggest difference is that chirashizushi has the same ingredient profile served over white rice. I wonder, since a lot of Hawaiin inhabitants’ ancestry stems from Asia, could this dish be a long lost relative to my beloved Japanese one?
Thank you so much for sharing, it looks delicious!
Tis’ possible! I just googled “chirashizushi” and it looks so good! Very similar indeed. I want it now!
I feel like most cultures who have access to fresh fish have some sort of recipe like this. But I feel like ceviche resembles poke more than chirashizushi since it only consists of raw fish on sushi rice whereas poke and ceviche require some sort of sauce/marinade. The Japanese aren’t too fond of complicated flavor profiles (ever really) when it comes to raw fish because it masks the true flavor. But they’re all delicious and involve fresh raw fish so it’s a win-win!
My Japanese teacher would make us chirashizushi with marinated carrots and lotus root and it was sooo good!
This sounds good! I was sold with the mention of avocado.
I’m a fan of this recipe, but I’m terrified of dealing with raw meat of any kind in the kitchen for fear of poisoning myself.
Haha understandable. I’m surprised I’m still breathing considering all the times I make ceviche/poke and etc!
This sounds like a truly delicious dish, but I have to admit, I was expecting something totally different when I read “Daydream Poke”.
Ha! I know what you mean.
I take this works with other types of fish like snapper or tilapia right?
of course! I like it with salmon too and octopus if you’re daring ;)
I am daring, but not many places carry octopus, plus it was fried when I had to so, not sure if I’d like it raw or even lightly seared.
Awwwww this makes me miss Hawaii!!! I grew up there but am now living in Montana. I’d try to make this but I’m not sure I’d trust the fish here. I’ll just have to wait until the next time I visit my family I guess.
I would think you would have some quality fish from the rivers and lakes in the state and maybe even near by.
Oh yeah, trout fishing is huge here during the summer! It’s not usually a good idea to eat trout raw, though…
I live in Hawaii right now and eat Poke probably 5 times a week. So stoked to see a Poke recipe on here!
As a true Hawaiian/Japanophile, I am vouching for the fish from Whole Foods. It was super delis and I am still alive. Go get it!! Just make sure you practice proper safe and clean food handling.
This looks so delicious. I had no idea what Poke was before I read this but I can already tell I’m gonna love it.
i made something like this today except with things i already had in my fridge! i used tilapia (i pretty much eat tilapia exclusively), avocados, mango, and a white onion. i used a lot of sriracha and some soy sauce and a tiny bit of lemon juice. this is going to be weird and delicious! i’m going to eat it over rice and i will let you know how good it is.
soooo good. leftovers are even better