This Ahi Poke recipe is certainly easy to prepare and a great combination of flavors with the fresh fish still the center of attention. Perfect appetizer or main course!
Ahi Poke (pronounced PO-key) Salad is one of Joel's favorite foods. There was once a local Hawaiian themed restaurant that Joel would stop at weekly and bring home Poke.
When that restaurant went "out of business" it was a problem! The only solution (according to Joel) was to be able to make Poke at home.
So, although we do not have it weekly anymore, when we do find fresh sashimi-grade ahi, we bring it home and throw together some of our favorite flavors to add to the ahi.
Poke is fresh uncooked tuna which is sliced or cut and marinated. For the most part, the ingredients below are many that we combine together, but this is certainly one of those dishes that you can customize to your own taste and mix any combination of these or other ingredients you might enjoy.
We serve the Poke as a snack with chips or crackers or sometimes we make it more of a meal and serve it on top of rice or a salad.
For our Gr8 Luau themed dinner in 2005 we served it as an appetizer and it was a hit!
This poke salad is best made a couple of hours ahead of time to absorb the flavor of the marinade, covered and stored in the refrigerator until time to serve.
Recipe edited since the last publication on 5/13/16.
Ahi Poke
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tablespoons sesame oil, or toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon minced green onion, light green portion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 1-2 cloves
- 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
- 3 Tablespoons coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
- ¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup thinly julienned or chopped sweet onion, Maui, Vidalia, or Walla Walla onion
- 1 pound sashimi-grade ahi fillet, cut into bite size pieces (See Gr8 Tips below)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon chopped chives
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, green onions, garlic, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the onion and ahi to the bowl and gently stir with a rubber spatula to combine all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and let marinade in fridge for 1-2 hours to absorb the flavors.
- Garnish with the chives.
- Serve as an appetizer with chips, crackers or on it's own. Serve as a main dish with salad or rice.
Notes
- Be sure to buy “sushi grade” ahi. This means that it is very fresh or that it’s been deep-frozen.
- Once home, remove the fish from the packaging, pat it dry, wrap in plastic, and keep in the refrigerator.
- When slicing, use a clean cutting board because fish can pick up other flavors.
Be a Gr8 Friend and tell us what you think!