Aloha, Poke

When I found out I was going to Hawaii for work, images of clear, blue waters, awesome surfing, and flower leis immediately came to mind. I didn't give the local cuisine too much thought, that is until I was invited to a luau and introduced to poke. Pronounced “POH-kay,” this is an appetizer or “pupu” you'll see at many Hawaiian parties or dinners. It's a simple dish consisting mainly of diced raw ahi tuna and soy sauce. Poke is so common in Hawaii, there are entire sections at supermarkets devoted to this local dish. And there are even more eateries that have poke on the menu.

Poke is an easy dish to make if you have the proper ingredients. Whatever you put in the mix, poke purists insist one ingredient you must include is Hawaiian sea salt. It adds that extra little something that table salt just can't match. I've not seen Hawaiian salt outside of the islands, but I haven't looked very hard because I still have ample supply. However, I know there are merchants online that will ship the salt.

There are many variations of poke. This is a simple recipe to get you started.

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh ahi tuna

Small white or yellow onion

1 cup soy sauce (not low-sodium)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Hawaiian sea salt

Directions

Dice tuna and julienne onion. Mix well with soy sauce and sesame oil. Salt to taste. Chill for about an hour and serve over rice.

Variations

I've had poke mixed with tomatoes and octopus, or topped with seaweed and sesame seeds. You can use a sweeter soy sauce, or spice it up with red chili pepper flakes. The possibilities are endless when it comes to poke.