Bigeye Tuna Poke
Image by Emily Miller.
Poke has risen to mainstream popularity in the United States. It’s a feast for the eye as well as the taste buds, with the attractive variety of vegetables and seafood that can be used.
It’s a very approachable way to eat raw fish, and inherently customizable. Curb your habit of purchasing poke, and learn to make it yourself if you have the luxury of access to locally landed sushi-grade tuna!
In this recipe, I present three different styles of dressing - try them all!
Ingredients
½ lb sushi grade bigeye tuna*
*Loin, belly, cheek, tail, and spoon meat all work. You can also swap in a different species of tuna.
1 avocado, halved & thinly sliced
short grain or sushi rice (white or brown according to preference)
2 small cucumbers (Persian or cocktail), julienned finely
½ Asian pear, julienned finely
minced cherry tomatoes
2 radishes, finely sliced rounds
Dressing 1: Classic Spicy
½ red onion, minced
2 sheaves green onion, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced raw jalapeno
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Dressing 2: Sesame
½ red onion, minced
2 sheaves green onion, minced
¼ cup Kewpie brand Deep-Roasted Sesame Dressing (Available at Costco)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Dressing 3: Wasabi Aioli
1 jalapeno, minced
½ red onion, minced
½ cup Kewpie brand mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons wasabi
1 tablespoon soy sauce
How to Prepare
Refer below for directions on how to prepare the different parts of the tuna for this recipe.
Belly: Mince into bite-size pieces. Bones are easily removed here, just keep an eye out for them! Remove any chewy pieces of membrane, according to preference.
Spoon Meat: Drag a spoon along the ribs and backbone of a fish carcass to lift bits of meat off the bones. A good volume can be raised from enthusiastic scraping of a large fish!
Loin, Tail meat, or Cheeks: Remove skin, dice into bite-size pieces.
Return fish to the fridge to keep it firm and chilled until serving.
Select your dressing and mix ingredients together.
Place 1-2 scoops of freshly-cooked rice in a deep bowl.
Arrange equal portions of the cucumber, radish, pear, and cherry tomatoes around the rice.
Arrange thin slices of avocado over the rice.
Combine dressing and fish, coating fish evenly. Top avocados and vegetables with 1-2 scoops of fish. Garnish with sesame seeds and minced green onion, if available.
