Ahi Poke Recipe (aka I Miss Kona)

While in Kona I finally made my way over to Da Poke Shack, which they say has the best and freshest poke on the island. I can't really argue with that. It was amazing. And you can even get seaweed salad as your side. And a refreshing beer. Heaven.

So when I got home and was missing Kona and all that (to be expected), I decided to make my own ahi poke. I also wanted to share a Hawaiian-inspired meal with John. Oh, and I was also a little too tired/lazy too cook anything significant. I'd never made poke, but how hard could it be? As long as you find quality fish, have a sharp knife and a few other ingredients on hand you can have this ready in about 10 minutes! It really is that quick and easy - the most important thing is just making sure you buy high-quality ahi. We buy from Whole Foods, or very occasionally our Trader Joe's will get a nice shipment of sashimi-grade ahi. I wouldn't buy from your traditional grocery stores.

I found some recipes online and took from several of them, of course, sort of eyeballing all my ingredients based on what normal poke looks like. Within minutes we had some bomb, custom ahi poke. Here's the recipe:

Ahi Poke with Avocado

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh sashimi grade ahi, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 avocado, diced
10-15 grape/cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1-2 tbsp sesame oil
3-4 tbsp GF soy sauce (or tamari)
splash of rice vinegar
2-3 drops fish sauce (don't overdo this)
red pepper flakes, to taste

Optional:
julienned white/sweet oinion
chopped scallions
sesame seeds

Directions:
Chop up the fish, avocado and tomatoes. In a medium/large bowl, mix in sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce. Add in fish and mix well with sauce so it coats every bit of the fish. Add in avocado, tomatoes, red pepper flakes (be careful with those and how much heat it adds), and optional ingredients. Mix everything well together and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. I have to say, the avocado adds an extra creaminess that really sets this ahi poke apart from any other I've tried. I didn't see avo in any other recipe, nor was it offered in Da Poke Shack concoction.

Note: As with all the recipes I post, a lot of the ingredients can be eye-balled, and honestly my measurements provided are close enough to what I actually did (that's good enough right?). Man, I'm a terrible chef haha. Bottom line with this is that you don't want your poke to be too soupy/oily, but you also want enough sauce to coat the fish and enhance the flavor of the ahi. Most of all, go very easy on the fish sauce- it's good stuff but a drop or two is enough. And red pepper flakes? We like to bring up the heat, but use with caution. A little goes a long way.

Ahi poke is best when enjoyed with a nice sunset, and a delicious (healthy) treat after...

Ain't no Kona, but there's no place like home.

A Whole Foods special. Addicted.