Hawaiian Poke

(I thank www.discovernikkei.org for the photo)

Here is a recipe that is a Hawaiian staple. And for every family, there is their own special twist that makes it unique. The only MUST HAVE is to use the absolute freshest fish available.



1 lb of one of the following: Tuna (Ahi or Albacore), Bonito (Aku), Marlin (Nairaga (Striped) Hebi (Spearfish) or Kajiki (Blue)), Salmon, Opah, (prepared) Squid or Octopus (tako). You can also use Tofu.
1 Tbs Red Hawaiian Rock Salt (I can find it at Trader Joes and most oriental stores). You can substitute it with Kosher Salt just cut it back by about a third
1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flake (I also use a couple of drops of Rooster Suace to kick up the heat a little)
1 Tbs Red Ogo (seaweed) Kind of hard to ogo. You can sub crushed dried Nori but you may want to cut it back a bit for it is quite a bit stronger in flavor
1 to 2 Tsp Sesame Oil (enough to coat all the fish)

Cut fish into 3/4 inch cubes and set aside at room temperature. Prepare your dried Ogo or Nori by placing it in a cup of water, covering it completely. Let it stand for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and squeeze out the excess. Chop it into 1/2 inch pieces. Add it to the fish. Add Salt and Sesame oil to the fish and mix well by hand.
For best results let it stand for about an hour at room temperature and then serve.
If you have any left overs the next day, throw them in a hot pan and fry fast until the fish lightly cooked and serve over rice.

This is a very basic recipe and lends itself to so many variations. Experiment and have fun with it. Leave a comment and let us know what you did make it uniquely yours.