One of my fondest food memories is of eating store-bought poke salad (also spelled “poki”) with my wife on a Maui beach during our honeymoon, accompanied by Salon Champagne. Poke salad – which is typically made using raw tuna – is as commonplace in Hawaiian grocery stores as potato salad is here. It’s delicious and very easy to make. There’s no cooking involved; it’s essentially nothing more than raw tuna marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, chili sauce and a few other ingredients. It makes for a terrific warm-weather lunch or dinner item.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 lb. sushi grade ahi tuna (don’t even think about trying this without top-notch sushi-grade fish)
- 2-3 green onions, minced
- 1 small or 1/2 large red onion, minced
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp rice wine
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- red chili sauce, to taste (I like to use Sambal Oelek or Sriracha)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (black or white)
Method
- Begin by combining all of the ingredients except the tuna in a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend thoroughly.
- Using a very sharp knife, cut the ahi tuna into small cubes, about 1/2 inch in size.
- Place the tuna in the bowl with the poke dressing. Toss gently to coat the tuna with the dressing.
- Refrigerate the poke tuna for a half-hour or so before serving to allow the flavors to intermingle. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
