Tuna Poke Recipe | Hawaiian Ahi Poke

August 6, 2020Mrs. Lin's Kitchen
tuna poke recipe

Tuna Poke is a Hawaiian dish that is traditionally made of sliced or cubed fresh raw fish and mixed with various fresh ingredients like sliced green onion, Maui onions, limu and seasoned with shouyu (Japanese soy sauce)

The first time I ate Poke (pronounced Po-Kay) is in Kaui thirty years ago. It was an accidental but pleasant encounter with the local Hawaiian in a parking lot after our hike. They were super friendly and offered us their food poke. It was so good that we asked where we can get more and they told us they bought poke at a local fish market. Since that day, I fell in love with poke. Every time I go to back Hawaii, I have to look for it.

What is Hawaiian poke?

Hawaiian poke tastes somewhere between sashimi and ceviche. It’s traditionally made of sliced or cubed fresh raw fish, most commonly skipjack tuna, then mixed with various fresh ingredients like sliced green onion, Maui onions, limu and seasoned with shouyu (soy sauce in Japanese) and sesame oil.

Ingredients

tuna poke recipe
  • 1 lb sashimi-grade tuna
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onion
  • 1/4 cup sliced onion (red or yellow)
  • 1 tablespoon dried seaweed
  • 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons light-color soy sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • White/black sesame seeds
tuna poke recipe

Optional:

tuna poke recipe
  • 1/2 cup cube cucumber
  • Hot chili oil/sriracha (optional)

Although poke is a Hawaiian dish, Japanese cuisine has a strong influence on it. The key ingredient is the fish and it must be sashimi-grade raw fish.

tuna poke recipe

I have gotten it mostly from Japanese grocers like Nijiya, Mitsuwa or Marukai. Due to COVID, I have been getting IQF tuna which has a similar quality. Fresh fish shouldn’t be fishy and the flesh shouldn’t be soft or flaky. When in doubt, always ask the person who’s selling the fish.

You can serve tuna poke with rice, or present tuna poke in Asian soup spoons and serve it as an appetizer.

tuna poke recipe

To make gluten free Tuna poke, you can use Tamari sauce or gluten free soy sauce.

Tuna Poke Recipe

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Tuna Poke | Hawaiian Ahi Poke (マグロポケの作り方 )

Tuna Poke is a Hawaiian dish that is traditionally made of sliced or cubed fresh raw fish and mixed with various fresh ingredients like sliced green onion, Maui onions, limu and seasoned with shouyu (Japanese soy sauce)

Ingredients

  • 1 lb sashimi-grade tuna
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onion
  • 1/4 cup sliced red onion, (or yellow onion)
  • 1 tbsp dried seaweed
  • 1-1/2 to 2 tbsp light-color soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
  • white and black roasted sesame seeds

Optional

  • 1/2 cup cucumber cubes
  • hot chili oil or sriracha

Instructions

Prepare the Ingredients

  • 1)

    Soak dried seaweed in water for a few minutes. Squeeze out all of the excess water and set aside.

  • 2)

    Cut the tuna into 3/4″ cubes

  • 3)

    Thinly slice green onion and red onion

Mix poke

  • 1)

    In a large mixing bowl, add tuna, green onion, red onion, seaweed, soy sauce, sesame oil, and roasted sesame seeds. Mix everything together

    You can also add some hot chili oil or sriracha and cucumber cubes.

  • 2)

    After mixing, let tuna sit in refrigerator for 1/2 hour before serving so tuna is infused with all the flavors

Serve

  • 1)

    To serve tuna poke with rice, add a few lettuce leaves on a bed of rice then place poke on top of it.

    You can also present tuna poke in Asian soup spoons and serve it as an appetizer.

Notes

Use Tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce if you have gluten allergy

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