Poke: A Trendy Dish, But Not Only
Perhaps you have never heard of poke, a dish that, although fashionable all over the world, you may not know yet. In this article we would like to offer you more information on this dish.
Of Hawaiian origin, this dish based on raw fish as the main ingredient and today one of the most popular gastronomic preparations in European and American countries. In addition to fish, it includes other ingredients that we can combine as we like.
What is poke?
In the Hawaiian language this word means “to cut into pieces” because the dish is mainly made up of raw fish pieces. The fish is flavored with soy sauce, sesame and other seasonings which are then mixed with the vegetables.
Traditional recipes are aku , which contains yellow fin tuna, and he’e , made with octopus instead of fish. However, it is also possible to prepare it with raw salmon or seafood.
The vegetables added to this dish are those that can be eaten raw, such as cucumber, seaweed, avocado and onion. Everything is served in a bowl; if you prefer, it can also be accompanied by white rice.
What is the history of this dish?
Over the years, poke has been the dish with which the fishermen of the islands recovered the energy lost during the hard work.
The local fish was gutted, skinned and torn to pieces with the hands. Then it was preserved in salt and limu seaweed and typical condiments were added , such as inamona (obtained from the toasted nuts of kukui). After being marinated, it was mixed with vegetables.
Over the years this dish has undergone some influences from other places. Among these we remember above all that of the Japanese and Indian cuisines, populations that during the seventies reached Hawaii.
Following their presence, salmon, soy sauce and rice were added. Thus, today the gourmet recipes for preparing poke include other ingredients such as almond milk, quinoa, kale or kale, tofu and chia and poppy seeds.
Poke is a nutrient-rich dish
In addition to its refreshing flavor, this dish stands out for the nutritional contribution of its ingredients. Science claims that fish and seafood are sources of complete protein and healthy fatty acids from the Omega-3 family.
On the other hand, seeds and dried fruits provide Omega-3, 6 and 9, while vegetables offer fiber, iron and calcium. If chia seeds are included in the preparation of the dish, for example, the contribution of fatty acids will be considerable.
Finally, the vegetarian version that involves adding tofu instead of fish offers different types of proteins. For all these reasons, we recommend that you try this dish packed with healthy nutrients.
How do you make poke?
There are several ways to prepare it, but we present one of the simplest recipes among those contained in The Poke Cookbook: the Freshest Way to Eat Fish . Make a note of the ingredients you will need and follow this recipe step by step.
Ingredients
To macerate the fish:
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil or 1 tablespoon of hydrated white sesame seeds for 2 hours.
- The juice of 1 lemon.
- 1 slice of fresh ginger.
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons of boiled rice.
- 100 grams of salmon.
- 5 walnuts.
- 1/4 of a cucumber.
- 1/4 of a red onion.
- 5 slices of radish.
- 1/2 avocado.
To season and enhance the flavors, 3 slices of shallot and spicy sauce.
Procedure for macerating the fish
- Cut the salmon into cubes and place in a bowl or deep plate.
- Add the juice of 1 lemon, the soy sauce, the sesame oil (or the seeds) and the slice of ginger.
- Mix everything and leave to macerate for at least 20 minutes, so that it takes on flavor.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate while you perform the next step.
Since there is no cooking, we advise you to make sure that all ingredients are well washed and in good condition.
Steps to follow before combining the ingredients
- Chop the onion and let it soak in hot water for 15 minutes to reduce the acidity.
- Slice the cucumber, radish or avocado.
- Chop the shallot.
- Combine all the ingredients.
Final preparation of the dish
- Put rice in a bowl.
- Take the marinated salmon from the refrigerator and add it (to your liking) to the rice.
- Add the vegetables.
- Finally, add hot sauce to taste, the walnuts and the onion.
Poke: a trendy dish
In addition to being trendy, this dish offers healthy nutrients for the body and is easy to prepare. Remember that the recipe we propose is just one of many and that you can make all the variations you prefer.
