Ahi Poke Recipe - The Art of Food and Wine (2024)

This classic Hawaiian style Ahi Poke Recipe combines sushi-grade tuna with traditional Asian flavored ingredients for an amazing and fresh appetizer

What is Poke?

Poke is Hawaiianfor “to slice” or “cut crosswise into pieces”. Basically, it is diced raw fish marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil tossed with sesame seeds and seaweed. Generally, it’s served either as an appetizer or as a main course and is one of the main dishes ofHawaiiancuisine.

Most poke in Hawaii has sliced pieces of Maui Onions, however, they can be hard to find so we substituted scallions instead.

Ingredients for Ahi Poke Tuna:

• Sushi grade Ahi Tuna – it MUST be sushi-grade quality. (In some cases, it will be frozen, and that’s ok)
• Soy Sauce
• Shallots
• Scallions
• Sesame Oil
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Chili Garlic Paste – we like Sambal Olek but choose your favorite
• Sesame seeds – toasted seeds, black or white, add a lot of flavor
• Dried seaweed – about 1/2 sheet
• Sea salt – we use pink Hawaiian sea salt, but any type will work

How to make our Ahi Poke Recipe:

• Ahi should be very cold to make slicing easier
• Make the sauce by combining soy sauce, shallots, scallions, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and chili paste in a bowl and whisk well to combine
• Cut ahi into cubes about 3/4 – 1″ in size
• Add cubed ahi to the sauce along with sesame seeds, seaweed pieces, and sea salt and mix gently to combine everything
• Give it a taste to make sure it’s spicy enough for you
• Marinate for about an hour in the refrigerator, if possible, for best flavor and serve

Fresh tuna is easiest to slice and cube if it‘s super cold because you get a clean slice

Cut the pieces into about 3/4″ – 1″ cubes for poke

How to serve spicy poke:

Poke is great on its own with a pair of chopsticks but our favorite way to eat it is with a side of tortilla chips. Just scoop some poke onto a chip, or if you can find the scoop-type tortilla chips they make the perfect bite-sized appetizer container.

How to make a Poke Bowl:

Poke bowls are a great way to make a full lunch or dinner, and it’s similar to any rice bowl. Basically, apoke bowlis made up of a base, usually rice, cubed sushi-grade tuna or salmon, and a variety of toppings such as soy sauce, seaweed, avocado and chopped vegetables.

We love a great rice bowl and our Tofu Sesame Rice Bowl is one of our favorite go-to’s for a lunch full of flavor and protein.

Is Poke is healthy?

Yes! Poke is a great protein punch! Poke Bowls are also packed with fresh lean protein from fish, as well as heart-healthy ingredients with fiber, like seeds, avocado, and vegetables. Rice can add quite a few carbs, however, so if you are watching carbs, substitute the rice for cauliflower rice or even cabbage. Tuna packs a high amount of Omega-3, which is great for your heart.

Other easy appetizers to try:

• Mini Caprese Skewers
• Crab Cakes with Homemade co*cktail Sauce
• Mini Taco Salad Cups
• Szechuan Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Easy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings