Inlander's Poke (pronounced po-keh)

     
        My father and I first became fascinated by the thought of Poke when we saw it on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Guy Fieri--lord I love that man--traveled to Hawaii where he drove to a restaurant famous for their 25 variations of the traditional Hawaiian dish called "Poke". I let it be known in my previous post that anything that deals with seafood and raw fish I have to try, and Poke in its most basic form is simply sushi-grade tuna diced up and mixed with some soy sauce, sesame oil, Hawaiian sea salt, kukui, scallions, and seaweed. But there are apparently endless seasoning combinations and seafood additions such as lobster and octopus that go into Poke recipes. My dad and I decided to stick to the basics; you can't start running before you can walk right?
        Alas, kukui and Hawaiian sea salt are ingredients not readily available to us land-enclosed misfits. And seeing as my dad and I thought to use the bluefin tuna we purchased from the LA Fish Co. for Poke off the fly, we used what ingredients we had readily available. We were inspired by an addition of chili flakes that the chef at the Hawaiian restaurant used, so we decided to also follow suit
        The outcome was absolutely delicious! The rich, nutty flavor from the sesame oil becomes offset by the softest hint of heat from the chili flakes, and the soy sauce adds in that salty kick. While I still prefer, above anything else, to eat my sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce, my dad says that Poke is now his new favorite! It is definitely a recipe worth giving a try, especially if you're looking for a new way to enjoy sushi-grade fish without veering too far from the generic wasabi + soy sauce. Here's the recipe for my father and my "Inlander's Poke"

Inlander's Poke

Ingredients:

4 oz tuna (traditionally ahi tuna, but we used bluefin) or any sushi-grade seafare
3 TB soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 TB of a chopped green onion (half white stalk and half of the dark green section)
few dashes of chili flakes to desired level of heat

Directions:

1. Carefully and finely slice the green onion stalk into thin rings

2. Next, chop the fish into bite sized cubes

2. Place cubes into a bowl and sprinkle the green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili flakes on top

3. Carefully fold all of the ingredients together so that each component has a chance to touch the fish. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors combine. The hardest part now is waiting! But be patient, the reward is worth it. Enjoy!

Next time I have some sushi-grade fish on hand I think I may try some different variations...the possibilities are endless!