I love a good tuna poke bowl. In Hawaii, where poke (diced raw fish) originated, you can find all different kinds, literally tubs of the stuff made fresh every day, in every supermarket deli case. Here in Vermont, when I see super fresh Ahi tuna at my local market, that’s what I think of making first. Poke is easy to make, and quick too – it’s mostly about the chopping – so sharpen your good knife for this no-cook dinner.
Diced cukes and onions add a nice crunch to the soft silkiness of the tuna and avocado. Rather than the traditional seaweed, I added sliced shiso from my herb garden which makes a perfect combo with tuna as it adds a very lovely tongue-tingling sharpness. I believe shiso is an annual in our climate, but it has somehow managed to pop up every year close to where I had originally planted it- a very good volunteer 🙂
Are you familiar with shiso? I was not, until a couple of years ago when I bought a small shiso plant from the herb section of my local nursery. I bought it primarily because it was beautiful; broad, green, lace-edged leaves with a brilliant purple underside and purple veining on top. Shiso, (Perilla frutescens) also called Beefsteak or Chinese Basil, has a sharp, minty, basily flavor and is used widely in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian cooking. If you can grow it, do! It’s beautiful and colorful and tastes great in all kinds of dishes where you might use mint or basil.
For this poke, feel free to use dried seaweed (reconstituted) or seaweed salad you can get at the fish market in place of the shiso.
- Dressing:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil (to your taste)
- ¼ cup ponzu
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
Poke:- 1 pound Ahi tuna, diced into ½ inch pieces
- ¾ cup sweet onion, diced into ½ inch pieces
- ¾ cup cuke, peeled and seeded, diced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 avocado, diced into ½ inch pieces
- ¼ cup scallions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons shiso leaf, finely sliced (or substitute reconstituted dried seaweed or seaweed salad)
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (or white if that's what you have)
- 2 cups white rice, cooked
- In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, ponzu, vinegar and ginger. Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl and gently fold together until just combined. Chill for a bit and then serve with chilled or room temperature white rice.
