Poke - pokee, pokay… it’s a seafood dish that's a staple in Hawaii and it’s getting
popular here in the mainland. Today, i’m going to show you 3 ways to make it - the
original Shoyu, spicy poke, and kimchi poke! I’m going to go over the basics first and
then build upon them to create more interesting flavors!
So how do you pronounce pokay? I’ve learned that it’s poh - kay and rhymes with OKAY!
Snap me at Honeysucklebee to tell me how you say it and be sure to check out myInstagram
at HoneysuckleCatering. Alright, so let’s start with our first version - the Shoyu Poke.
In a large bowl, I’m combining 1 lb of fresh ahi tuna steaks that I cut into 1 inch chunks
against the grain. I always try to look for wild caught ahi tuna because it is sustainable
and doesn’t have any of that unnatural stuff in farm raised fish. When choosing fish consider
three of these things before consuming it raw: smell - Fresh fish should have a very
light smell to almost no smell at all. Color - fresh fish should have a nice crimson color
and texture - it should be firm to the touch. Be sure to ask your fishmonger if you have
any questions at all!
Next, I’ll combine ¼ cups of soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
that I’ve pounded in my mortar and pestle, half a sweet maui onion that I’ve chopped
up, 1 stalk of green onion, chopped, sea salt to taste, and a little bit of togarashi, which
is japanese chili powder. If you can’t find this at the store you can always substitute
with cayenne pepper. I’ll mix it lightly then let it marinate in the fridge for at
least 2 hours before serving.
Wasn’t that easy? Now we’ll just use our shoyu poke and build upon it to make the spicy
poke.
In small bowl, i’m adding ½ cup of mayo - i’m using this Japanese mayo called kewpie.
Kewpie is a smoother, creamer mayonnaise that uses rice vinegar instead of white vinegar,
like traditional mayonnaise here. Have you ever tried it? Next I’ll add in 1 tbsp of
sriracha - feel free to adjust if you don’t like it too spicy. And I’ll add in 2 tsps
of tobiko which is flying fish roe. I like it because it adds a poppy crunch. I’ll
mix it well, then add it to the shoyu poke and give it a light toss until the fish is
coated. I like to sprinkle a little bit more of the tobiko on top for extra color. I’ll
let it marinate in the fridge for two hours and then enjoy!
Last but not least, our Kimchi poke. This one is quite simple and I recommend already
having kimchi on hand! I’m using my shoyu poke as a base here again, and in a small
bowl, combine 1 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1 tbsp honey and I’ll mix it well. Next, I’m
taking ¼ cup of kimchi that I made and I’ll chop it into small pieces. You can find my
kimchi recipe in the link below. I’ll add it to the oyster sauce mixture, along with
1 tbsp of the kimchi juice, and I’ll mix it well. Now I’ll lightly toss it with the
shoyu ahi poke and let it marinate for another 2 hours and enjoy! For each of these recipes
the marinating time is only two hours, not four.
Each one tastes so unique. The shoyu poke is the most simple of them all, but it really
is so tasty. The spicy poke is creamy and has the perfect amount of spiciness and the
tobiko gives it a little bit of texture that’s so interesting. Finally, the kimchi poke - I
love kimchi so this combo was a no-brainer for me and it’s so delicious paired with
rice, like a poke bowl. If you like poke bowls and want me to share a recipe on it comment
below or give me a thumbs up.
When I went to Maui this past summer for my honeymoon, I went to Foodland almost every
day to try their pokes. They had Shoyu, spicy California Roll, Wasabi, Lemu, everything
under the sun! I like to pair it with Taro chips that were so good.
What interesting combinations would you try now that you know how to make Poke? Be sure
to tag me in your photos if you make them. Thank you so much for watching and I’ll
see you guys next time. Bye!