After coming back from Hawaii a few months ago, I set out to make my own poke. It may not be in my usual cooking repertoire but it is what I love to eat so, challenge accepted!
Nevermind that poke is having a moment in NYC. I have not been satisfied by any of the local bowls I have tried thus far.
The first challenge is, of course, finding good sushi-grade ahi tuna wherever you live. In most places, it’s not going to be local so, freshness and quality are key. Even in New York, you have to be picky and be prepared to pay a lot more money per pound of ahi.
I went to a few places and fish markets and, ultimately, placed an order – since I needed 5 lbs – at my local Citarella. As you can see, the yellowfin tuna was beautiful.
The recipe below is flexible, according to your taste and tolerance for spice. And remember to visit the Travel Issue of VRAI Magazine to read about My Maui Top 5, including my favorite local spots for poke, spicy and otherwise!
- 2 to 2.5 lbs sushi grade tuna, cubed
- 0.5 red onion, chopped
- 0.25 cup green onion, sliced
- 0.5 large avocado, cubed
- 2 T toasted black sesame seeds
- 3 T shoyu soy sauce
- ⅓ cup Japanese mayonnaise
- 2 T Sriracha
- Cube the tuna into good-sized chunks, about an inch thick.
- In a large bowl, combine tuna, onions, and avocado.
- Combine mayo and sriracha - if you are making more spicy mayo, keep the proportions about one to four.
- Dress with shoyu, spicy mayo and black sesame seeds, folding in the tuna gently. Top with a few more slivers of green onion, if desired.
This looks so lovely! I posted on poke after coming back from Hawaii, too! I just can’t get the same quality as the fresh-out-of-the-water tuna there…
Agreed, Mimi, that is the biggest challenge!
Poke is having a moment here, too, but luckily we’ve got lots of Pacific resources for it right at hand!
That you do!
I just posted on this coming back from LA! This looks like a great recipe too and that is a gorgeous hunk of tuna! Love black sesame seeds
Thank you, Wendy!!