Tag Archive for Tuna

Ahi Tuna Poke, Four Ways

My family just loves seafood. One of our favorites is ahi tuna poke.  One of our best memories of one of our vacations to Oahu, Hawaii is being able to find a variety of poke almost everywhere, even in grocery stores, and not just ahi tuna poke but poke made with smoked octopus, salmon, shrimp, and other seafood delights!

Here are four of our ahi tuna poke favorites.  Clockwise from the top left:  Shoyu Poke, Ogo Seaweed Poke, Kimchee Base Poke, Spicy Mayo Poke.  Give them a try.  I think you’ll like them. 🙂

 

 

All four recipes below have a few ingredients in common:  ahi tuna, green onions, and either yellow, Maui, or any other sweet onion variety.

Cut the tuna steaks into 1/2-inch cubes.  I find it easier to cut them while still partially frozen.

     

Slice the green onions and yellow onions.

     

 

Now for the four variations — Shoyu, Ogo Seaweed, Spicy Mayo, and Kimchee Base.

 

Shoyu Poke

Shoyu — or soy sauce — poke is probably the simplest to make.  Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili flakes in a small bowl.
Pour the Shoyu mixture over the ahi.
Add green and yellow onions.  Stir to combine. 

 

Ogo Seaweed Poke

Ogo seaweed gets its name from — you guessed it — the Ogo seaweed that’s in it. 😀Ogo seaweed poke is also pretty simple to make.  It’s getting the ingredients that’s going to prove challenging, especially if you don’t have an international market nearby.

You’ll need dried ogo — a little goes a long way.  I used maybe a couple of pinches of ogo for this recipe.  I got a good supply of dried ogo on my last trip to Hawaii, but I have seen it sold in international markets.  You can even order it from Amazon.

I also used Alaea (Hawaiian) sea salt in this recipe, but if you can’t find it, pink Himalayan sea salt will work in a pinch.

     

To make Ogo Seaweed Poke, add a couple of pinches of dried ogo, alea sea salt, sesame oil, Chili pepper flakes, green onions, and yellow onions to the bowl of ahi.

Stir to combine.  Sprinkle nori komi furikake over the top.

This is the furikake to use (nori komi furikake).

Spicy Mayo Poke

Spicy Mayo Poke is a popular one.  The beauty of this version is you can make it as spicy (or not spicy at all) as you want.  I usually make it not spicy, then add the spice (sriracha) to my own serving.  This way pleases everyone in my family.  One doesn’t like spicy foods, another likes it mild, I like it a little more than mild, and another likes it mouth-on-fire hot. 🌶🌶🌶🌶

To make Spicy Mayo Poke, you’ll need kewpie mayo, soy sauce, aji mirin, garlic powder, lime juice, and sriracha.

            

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl, including sliced green and yellow onions.

Stir to combine. Pour the mixture over the ahi. Stir to combine.

 

Kimchee Base Poke

Kimchee Base is a unique ingredient for most, but it’s commonly sold in Asian or international markets.  It’s usually used for — you guessed it — making kimchee, but I like to use it in many different recipes.

To make kimchee base kimchee, in a small bowl mix together kimchee base, aji mirin, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.

Pour the mixture over the ahi.  Add green and yellow onions.  Stir to combine.

 

That’s it!

Four versions of ahi tuna poke, all delicious (trust me), and all super easy to make.  Serve with hot steamed rice and enjoy!

 

 

Ahi Tuna Poke, Four Ways
 
Author:
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Ingredients
Shoyu Poke
  • ½ pound ahi tuna
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions
  • ¼ cup sliced yellow onions
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Chili pepper flakes, to taste
Ogo Seaweed Poke
  • ½ pound ahi tuna
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions
  • ¼ cup sliced yellow onions
  • 2 pinches dried ogo seaweed
  • 1 teaspoon alea (Hawaiian) sea salt
  • Chili pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons nori komi furikake
Spicy Mayo Poke
  • ½ pound ahi tuna
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions
  • ¼ cup sliced yellow onions
  • 2 tablespoons kewpie mayo
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon aji mirin
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha, more or less to taste
Kimchee Base Poke
  • ½ pound ahi tuna
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions
  • ¼ cup sliced yellow onions
  • 1 tablespoon kimchee base
  • 1 tablespoon aji mirin
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
Instructions
  1. For each poke recipe, mix all the ingredients together.
  2. Serve over hot steamed white rice.
  3. Enjoy!

 

Ahi Tuna Poke

Poke is a Hawaiian dish traditionally served as an appetizer, but it can also be a main dish when served with rice or corn titiyas.

Modern versions of poke can vary depending on the ingredients you have on hand.  Poke is typically made with cubed ahi tuna marinated with soy sauce (some use sea salt), ground kukui nut (the meat in the inside, though, not the entire nut), sesame oil, ogo seaweed, and hot chili peppers.  You can also use fresh salmon or octopus instead of ahi.

Living in Colorado, I don’t have access to a lot of the traditional ingredients like ogo seaweed and kukui nuts, so I created a different version of poke that my family — especially my 11 year old daughter — loves.

It’s a simple recipe that you can take to entirely new levels by adding the other optional ingredients I listed below.

Give my recipe a try.  I think you’ll like it. 🙂

Poke

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ahi tuna
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons kimchee base
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 6 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
  Optional Ingredients:
  • 1 small cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 1 small sweet onion (Maui onions are good), diced
  • 2 tablespoons furikake seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons ground macadamia nuts (if you can’t find or don’t have access to kukui nuts)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Hot chili peppers or Sambal Oelek chili sauce, to taste
  • You can also substitute the tuna with salmon or octopus

Directions:

1.  Cut the ahi into small cubes.  I find it’s easier to slice the ahi when it’s partially frozen.

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2.  Add the sesame oil.

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3.  Add the kimchee base (you can use a chili sauce like Sambal Oelek if you can’t find kimchee base).

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4.  Add the soy sauce.

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5.  Add the green onions.

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6.  Stir to combine.  Let the poke sit for at least 30 minutes (refrigerated) to allow the flavors to meld.

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7.  Serve with hot white rice or freshly made corn titiyas (tortillas).  The photo below shows the ahi tuna poke (on the bottom right of the plate) and ahi tuna sashimi (that’s another recipe, to be posted soon) on the bottom left.

ENJOY!!

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