What is poke exactly? Poke (correctly pronounced po-kay) comes from the Hawaiian word "to cut" and is a traditional Hawaiian dish composed of marinated fresh fish. Most of the time, poke is made with raw tuna but any sushi-grade fish can be used. And although it might sound similar to ceviche, poke is not cooked through the acidic properties of citrus. Instead, it's marinated in a delicious sauce made from a few asian condiments. In this quick and easy recipe, I use fresh ahi tuna, avocado, seaweed salad and my sweet, salty and spicy poke marinade.
If you've come to my current home town of sunny New Smyrna Beach, FL, you'll probably notice all of the poke-themed dishes at almost all of our local restaurants. And although this craze has been present here for some time now, the rest of the country is just now catching on - with poke shops popping up everywhere from Los Angeles, to Chicago to Brooklyn.
Luckily for us, NSB can easily be marked as the forerunner of the Eastern seaboard poke movement. Why is that? Well, we can chalk it up to a few key elements that have help us get ahead of the curve. First, our quaint little beach town is packed full of island-hopping world-class surfers hotties who have subsequently brought back globally inspired tropical dishes which have helped shape our local food scene. Second, as with Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean, our proximity to the subtropical waters of the Atlantic helps create the perfect environment for yellowfin tuna to grow and flourish... and then get caught and eaten.
So to demystify this infamous no-frills Hawaiian classic, I've created a quick, simple, and relatively cheap poke bowl recipe that you can make in under 30 minutes!
Quick and Easy Hawaiian Poke Recipe using Tuna, Avocado and Seaweed Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ tablespoon hot chili oil
- ½ tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoon green onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 4 oz seaweed salad
- ¼ cup shaved vidalia onion
- 1 lb fresh, raw tuna
- ½ avocado, diced
- 4 cups sushi rice, prepared with 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, seasoned rice wine vinegar, sweet chili sauce, green onion, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Next, add in the diced tuna, vidalia onion and avocado and gently toss to coat. Then, place the coconut infused sushi rice in a large bowl, and use the back of a spoon create a hollow center. Finish with a layer of the seaweed salad and lastly, the poke mixture. Serve and enjoy!
Phillyis Welliver says
Can you use frozen fish