Poke (Poh-kay)… is a traditional Hawaiian dish made from raw fish (Sashimi-grade ahi tuna or octopus) sliced/ diced into bite-sized pieces and marinated in a sauce. Depending on the portions, it can be served as an appetizer or entree.
Due to proximity, Hawaiian food is influenced at times by Japanese cuisine. Over the years, we have been known to frequent a local Japanese sushi steak house, and we have enjoyed a great poke or two over the years. Tashi, our sushi chef friend, will vouch for it!
So, being devotees of a great poke, we’ve researched recipes and experimented with a few on our own. The result is that we’ve created our own homemade tuna poke and decided we are ready to share.
As with any recipe, the key is to read through the recipe first, organize all of the ingredients and you’re ready to go! You will be amazed how quickly this meal comes together from start to finish. It takes about 20-25 minutes.
Ingredients
Sriracha Sauce
6 Tablespoons mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Sriracha
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
Poke Marinade
1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp mirin sweet rice wine
1 Tablespoon + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Teaspoons granulated sugar
Poke
1 Pound Sashimi-grade* tuna cut into approximately 1/2″ cubes – we prepare it frozen
2 Avocados (Haas), peeled, pitted, & cut into 1/2″ pieces
Rice
2-3 cups long-grain, white rice, (we use Jasmine), cooked – we serve it warm, or… if you prefer, the traditional Sushi Rice (see pics below**)
Toppings
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
6 Scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
1/2 Cucumber, seedless, diced small
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Sriracha & soy sauce; set aside until ready to drizzle on top to serve. Tip: A squirt bottle is a plus for drizzling it!
- Combine soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. I use a metal/ stainless steel bowl to keep the marinade as chilled as possible.
- Add prepared tuna and avocado to the marinade, toss well & let marinate for approximately five to seven minutes. A longer time is not necessary.
- Divide the warm cooked rice between wide bowls & add some drained tuna and avocado mixture to each bowl. Discard the remaining marinade.
- Drizzle with some Sriracha sauce
- Top with scallions, cucumbers & sesame seeds.
*Note: Tuna must be sashimi-grade tuna to be eaten raw. Ask your fishmonger about the grade of your tuna. We always buy it frozen & cut it while it’s frozen for this recipe.
**Traditional Sushi Rice – This is the brand that we use for our poke and sushi rolls. For each cup of rice (prior to cooking), we add 2 1/2 Tablespoons of rice vinegar, 1/2 Tablespoon of Sugar, and 1/2 Tablespoon of Salt at the end to season it. We also only use a wooden spoon so we don’t damage the cooked rice. This prevents the rice from having any adverse “reaction” to the vinegar.
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