Poke

A few years back I travelled to Hawaii for the first time. I stayed on the Big Island and loved it. The variety of ecosystems was fascinating. One of the highlights was snorkeling in crystal clear waters with a pod of spinner dolphins. There was also a myriad of gastronomical delights. It’s where I first tasted KFC (Korean fried chicken, more on that another post).

It’s where I also found and fell in love with the ubiquitous salad of raw fish called poke (pronounced po kay). It’s simple. It’s healthy. It’s freakin delicious. So of course I set out to make it upon my return home. It is imperative that the fish be as high quality and fresh as can be as you will be consuming it raw. If you like sushi, put this in your mouth.

What you’ll need

Approximately 1 hour total time

8 oz raw tuna or salmon*

1 T chopped cilantro

2 scallions, sliced

 Pinch of salt

3 T soy sauce

1 T sesame oil

½ T rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame seeds

Carefully cut fish into ½ inch cubes with a very sharp knife. Mix it with the rest of the ingredients and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 min and up to 4 hours. There it is, eat it up. I usually eat it as a starter, which is what the above quantities are based on, with sushi rice. I did say it was simple.

*In really rare cases you can get sick from eating raw things, not my fault.