Yellowfin (Ahi) Tuna Poke

I am sorry. I am very, very sorry. This past week has been downright crazy for me. I worked from 5 AM to 10 PM this last Saturday and Sunday because of the annual Department of Health Services survey of our facility. I’ve been doing my nursing clinicals after work to 11:30 PM on Thursdays and Fridays. I am drained, exhausted, tired to the bone. It seems at 38 years old, I can no longer push myself to the limits that I used to. To my subscribers who were feed an unfinished post of this poke recipe, I apologize. Last Sunday, I tried to squeeze posting this salad in between the 12 AM time I got home and my required 4 AM waking time. My mind was resolute with the task but my body was begging, NO MORE, PLEASE! NO MORE! I just had to give it up. Probably in my daze I clicked PUBLISH instead of saving the post in my draft box, thus Feedburner picked up and sent out the post before I was finished. I discovered my error just now when I checked my e-mails. Forgive me, please? I know firsthand how hectic life can get and I am truly abashed for wasting your time.

Poke, which means “to section or to cut raw fish into bite-sized pieces”, is a mainstay in Hawaiian homes as a popular appetizer or side dish. The traditional ingredients for poke were limu (seaweed), ‘inamona (roasted ground kukui nut) and pa’akai (sea salt) but as the dish entered mainstream cuisine in the 70’s, it evolved to include a wider variety of seasonings such as shoyu, green onions, roasted sesame oil, chilies, onions and tomatoes. Modern poke has also moved further from only raw fish to include other sea harvests such as prawns, squid, octopus, blue crab, and mussels. Keep in mind, though, that even with the modernization of this Hawaiian favorite, one key factor remains constant~use the freshest seafood possible. I recommend a sashimi-grade yellowtail tuna for this recipe. As this is also a dish that involves no cooking, be conscientious with proper temperatures and preparation to maintain food safety.

Ingredients

1 lb sashimi-grade yellowtail (ahi) tuna, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup shoyu (I used Kikkoman brand)
4 to 5 tbsps sesame oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and sliced thinly
1/4 onion, sliced thinly
toasted sesame seeds
sea salt or kosher salt

Procedure

In a bowl, combine shoyu, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Let stand for around 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally. Remove when sesame seeds lightly brown and become fragrant, around 3 minutes.

Season fish lightly with sea salt.

To assemble poke salad, combine yellowtail tuna cubes, onions and jalapeno. Toss in shoyu-sesame dressing. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with wasabi, if desired.

Fish and Seafood Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Bulanglang na Gulay (Boiled Vegetables and Shrimp)

Sculpin Fish in Miso Broth

More Good Food!

Written by Lalaine · Filed Under Fish and Seafood

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Talk to me, please. Please? I am down on my knees here...seriously.

8 Responses to “Yellowfin (Ahi) Tuna Poke”

Ning on September 10th, 2008 6:55 am

This kind of sashimi is one of our favorites. However, we are reluctant to purchase and eat raw tuna nowadays, as we are not sure where it is sourced, how fresh it is, etc. Take care of yourself! Even younger people cannot take a punishing schedule such as yours…
Lalaine on September 10th, 2008 7:41 am

Ning,
Thanks. My schedule is really grueling. Our survey finally concluded but I’d be attending nursing school and working full-time until December of next year…hay!

I know what you mean. I buy my tuna at a reputable food chain a few minutes from my house. Actually, I was happily chomping on the raw fish cubes when my daughter, who is in a pre-nursing program and took Microbiology last summer, said, “Mom, there is a worm (she mentioned a very complicated scientific name that I can neither spell nor pronounce) you can get from raw fish that will claw and attach to your stomach walls and multiply there.” I was like, “Aaackk”! Yep, tell me after I finished 99% of the dish. What’s the point of stopping now? I already ate most of the raw fish so I continued chomping.
Jude on September 11th, 2008 3:05 am

Stuff like this makes me want to move to hawaii. cool presentation and I love that I don’t have to turn on the heat for this.
Lalaine on September 11th, 2008 6:04 am

Jude,

Yes. No extra summer torture.
Kristen on September 11th, 2008 4:33 pm

Hey there!
I just wanted to let you know that Adopt a Blogger matches are up on my blog.
Thanks for participating
Joy on October 8th, 2008 7:49 pm

Oh my god…I love poke!!! I just came back from a trip to Hawaii and I’m still dreaming of more poke.

Btw, about the recipe — how do I know the fish is sashimi grade or where do I get it? Thanks!
Lalaine on October 9th, 2008 8:33 pm

Hi Joy!

I bought it from Fresh and Easy but I am not sure if this store chain has extended outside of Southern California. I don’t really know how to determine if the fish is sashimi grade outside of it being labeled as such. I know for a fact though that the fish should be at its freshest to be considered at this grade.
jackson on June 13th, 2009 9:20 pm

just to give you a heads up. I am a sushi chef and eat raw fish all the time. never had a worm attach to my stomach, also there is no such thing as yellowtail tuna, it is yellowfin tuna or just yellowtail whish is hamachi and though similar to tuna it is a different species of fish. happy cooking