Here is the granddaddy of all the poké recipes from our brand new and totally beautiful title Island Poké. It is our standard ‘ahi poké recipe and what we serve day in, day out at Island Poké. The secret to its success is the sashimi-grade ‘ahi that we allow to stand on its own, without being overwhelmed with too many other flavours. If you cannot source sashimi-grade ‘ahi, ask your fishmonger to advise you on whether their freshest tuna can be eaten raw.
SERVES 4 AS A MAIN
250 g/1 ½ cups sushi rice
500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. sashimi-grade ‘ahi or yellowfin tuna
2 tablespoons shoyu
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 spring onions/scallions, finely sliced
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
2 tablespoons Pickled Ginger
2 red chillies/chiles, sliced
2 spring onions/scallions, sliced
1 avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced
1 tablespoon edamame
2 tablespoons tobiko (fish roe)
2 tablespoons wakame seaweed
1 tablespoon macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons Crispy Shallots
Dash of sriracha sauce
Mixed sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Edible flowers, to garnish
Make up a batch of sushi rice.
Cube or dice ‘ahi or tuna into smallish pieces. Place in a bowl with the shoyu, sesame oil, spring onions/scallions and ginger and gently mix together. Leave for at least 15 minutes for the flavours to combine.
Place the rice in a poke serving bowl, add the poke and garnish with any of the toppings. Add one of the following sauces: sriracha mayo (see below), wasabi crema (see below), or straight sriracha sauce.
SRIRACHA MAYO
Mix together 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons thick yogurt and the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime.
WASABI CREMA
Stir together 125 g/ ½ cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons crème fraiche, 2 teaspoons wasabi paste, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon. Leave for at least an hour to allow the flavours to develop.
SPICY ‘AHI VARIATION
Heat up a cast iron pan and char 2 jalapenos and 2 red chillies/ chiles until just blistered on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, toast 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, then run a knife across them before crushing in a mortar. De-stem and finely dice the charred chillies/chiles. Make up a Standard ‘Ahi Tuna Poke and combine with above ingredients.
This recipe is from Island Poke by James Porter, photography by Mowie Kay © Ryland Peters & Small