Spicy Tuna Poke
Mixing my White Miso Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise with Sriracha hot sauce creates a rich, fatty and spicy sauce that enhances the naturally fatty tuna. With each bite, the heat level climbs, yet never going over the too hot threshold. This Spicy Tuna Poke can be served as is, or with deep fried won ton skins, served over rice noodles or over a bed of arugula and spinach leaves.
Poke is a local Hawaiian dish; the word means “to slice or cut into cubes.” Think sashimi-quality raw tuna made into a fresh salad. First, the tuna is skinned and de-boned. Then the blood line is removed, and the loin is cut into small cubes and tossed with a light dressing or marinade—similar to a ceviche, but there’s no citrus juice that “cooks” the fish with acid, so it’s more like a tartare. This showcases the light, full-flavored tuna. Accentuate the natural flavors with a touch of soy sauce, sesame oil, a crunch of seaweed, some sesame seeds or nuts, and a few veggies. Simple to make, this dish is perfect served by itself or with several other variations of poke; just add a seaweed salad, nori wraps and a pair of chopsticks.
Makes: 1 pound of poke, serving 6 – 8 people
More Poke Recipes:
Adapted from BeerAdvocate Magazine: Cuisine à la Bière | Oct 2013 | Issue #81
- 1/3 cup White Miso Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise, recipe here
- 3 tablespoon Sriracha Hot Sauce, or sambal (chili garlic sauce)
- 2 tablespoon oil, sesame, toasted
- 2 tablespoon roe, cured fish eggs, masago (capelin or smelt fish eggs) or my Curing Salmon Roe recipe | technique
- 1 tablespoon IPA such as Maui Brewing Co. Big Swell IPA,
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce | tamari | shoyu | liquid aminos
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, sea preferably Hawaiian Sea Salt
- 1/4 cup green onion, white and green parts, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup onion, Maui or Walla Walla, sweet, peeled and chopped medium fine
- 1 tablespoon seeds, sesame, white, toasted
- 1 pound tuna, sashimi quaility, such as skipjack (bonito), ahi (yellowfin) or yellowtail (hamachi), skinned and cut into half-inch cubes
- In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, Sriracha (adjusting the amount to your heat tolerance), sesame oil, roe/caviar, beer, (soy sauce | tamari | shoyu | liquid aminos) and salt; mix with a whisk until combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the green onions, sweet onions, sesame seeds and tuna. Fold in all the Sriracha mayonnaise dressing (also great to use with rice noodles, or as a sauce or dip) and stir to combine. Let all the flavors infuse the poke for at least an hour and up to 2 days, depending on how fresh the fish is.
Poke Tips:
- Fresh seaweed can be found in some Asian markets or at a high-quality seafood counter. If you can’t find any, ask your fish monger to special order it. Each type has its own texture and flavor, giving the final poke its special twist.
- On the mainland, kukui nuts are harder to find. You can order them online.
- As this dish is raw, high-quality, ultra fresh ingredients are needed. If sashimi grade (sushi quality) is not available, have your fish monger order it for you, before making this recipe.