A bowl of tuna poke over a bed of seaweed salad in a large white bowl

Tuna Poke

Ahi Tuna is one of my favorites.  Fresh tasting and mild, it has a perfect texture when eaten raw.

I love it as sushi and love it even more as poke – pronounced “Po-kay”, as in okay

Why is it called Poke?

The word poke means “chunk” in Hawaiian. It is traditionally made with diced raw fish and is one of the main dishes of Native Hawaiian cuisine. The raw tuna is lightly marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, and onions

I distinctly remember the first time I had Tuna Poke.  I was in Palm Springs, California for a work conference.  (yeah, like any of it was actual work…)

We ventured out to a local grocery store to get the necessities for the week… seltzer, chocolate, salty snacks and of course, wine

I was perusing the wine selection when I heard my name being called from the other end of the store.  “Suuuusaaaan!!!!!!!”  I knew right away it was my good friend, Metts, yelling my name

He was running down the aisle with a pint container and a plastic spoon… “You MUST try this!!”  It was a spoonful of Tuna Poke… quite possibly the best thing I had ever eaten

Needless to say, we each bought our own pint of deliciously fresh tuna, marinated ever-so-lightly in sesame oil and soy

And so continues my never ending love for Tuna Poke.  I even enjoyed some during one of our Disney trips at the Epcot wine and food festival

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It’s very important to make sure you are purchasing sushi grade ahi tuna for this recipe   Good fish counters will usually have it labeled as such

First, let’s mix up the marinade

Measure out 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of toasted black sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of chili garlic sauce

Slice up 4 scallions, both the white and green parts

Note – if you can’t find black sesame seeds, you can substitute regular sesame seeds

Either way, toast them in a dry non stick pan for a few minutes until they become fragrant.  Keep and eye on them, they toast quickly!

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Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well

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Remove the ahi tuna from the fridge (behold a thing of beauty) and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Add to the marinade ingredients and toss carefully

I like to chill it for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld, but I don’t blame you if you want to eat it right away!

Remove from fridge, give another toss and serve!

We served on a bed of seaweed salad and with a side of Jasmine Rice

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Enjoy!

Simply Sundays! ~ Tuna Poke

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

1 pound of sushi grade ahi tuna

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of toasted black sesame seeds

1 teaspoon of honey

1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce

4 scallions, whites and green

Seasoned rice, seaweed salad, wasabi peas for serving if desired

Directions

Measure out 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, a tablespoon of toasted black sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of chili garlic sauce

Slice up 4 scallions, both the white and green parts

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well; remove the ahi tuna from the fridge and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Add tuna to the marinade ingredients and toss carefully; chill 20 minutes before serving

Tools used to make this recipe

Greenbrier 1 X Mini Pinch Prep Bowls, Set of 4

Farberware Paring Knife and Cutting Board Set, White/Blue

KitchenAid Silicone Scraper Spatula, Tangerine

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