Refreshing tuna poke with avocado, lemon juice, and ogo seaweed, marinated in spicy soy sauce, and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Today I’m sharing a very popular Hawaiian dish called Ahi Tuna Poke (Pokē) which consists of cubed raw ahi tuna/yellowfin tuna marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, sea salt, some seaweed, and chili pepper.
Traditional poke consists of sliced fillet served with sea salt, seaweed, and limu, but there are many variations of the modern Poke like my recipe today. My husband loves Poke and we sometimes prepare differently with diced tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and so on.
I bought this Poke Mix which already includes Ogo seaweed (orognori). If you are vegetarian or don’t eat raw fish, you can easily substitute the tuna with tofu.
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Tuna Poke
Ingredients
- ¼ lb sushi-grade tuna
- 1 avocado
- lemon juice
- 1 green onion/scallion
- ½ Tbsp ogo seaweed
Seasoning:
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil)
- ⅛ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- If your tuna is not cubed (I bought pre-cut tuna sashimi from a Japanese market), dice it into ½ inch (1.3 cm) square pieces across the grain.
- Soak ogo seaweed in water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and chop into small pieces.
- Slice avocado into cubes and scoop up with a spoon.
- Squeeze some lemon juice on avocado to keep it from turning brown.
- Slice the green onion into small pieces.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Add the seasonings and toss all together.
- Serve on a plate (you do not need to marinade) and sprinkle roasted white sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi.
To Store
- I recommend consuming sashimi-grade tuna in 24 hours. Keep them in the refrigerator until serving.
Nami, what type of tofu can be used if the ahi is not available? I live in the desert so ahi is hard to come by and poke is a family favorite. I always purchase extra firm tofu, freeze it, thaw and squeeze all the water out, but I don’t think it would work as an ahi substitute.
Thanks!
Hi Stephanie! I use firm tofu. I never froze tofu before and that’s an interesting technique. Here’s what I normally do.
Drain tofu and place on a plate lined with 2-3 paper towels. Cover tofu with another 2-3 paper towels. Then put another plate on top to compress the tofu and squeeze out the excess water. I leave it at least 15 minutes before cutting into small cubes.
I wouldn’t call tofu as “substitute” for ahi tuna; however, if someone doesn’t like raw fish but still want to try Poke or eat something light, I think tofu is the best alternative. 🙂
Yum! Poke is so ‘ono (delicious)! Your version looks oishi. Aloha from Hawai’i!
Hi Kel! Ono means delicious. Thanks for teaching me! Arigato for your kind message. Aloha! 🙂
Before I finished reading the entire post, I was going to send you some Poké mix! I didn’t know it was readily available to you. You could very well cut the ahi cubes smaller and wrap the mixture in temaki rolls–yum!
Hi Donna! Aww you are so sweet! Thank you very much! It looks like I’m in luck with Poke Mix! I found it in Japanese supermarket here. I’m going to make temaki with poke next time – that’s a fantastic idea!
I’m always amazed the amount of work you put into your website. Today’s recipe looks wonderful and will try it asap.
Thanks you so much Nami
Hi Agnes! Thank you – blogging, especially food blogging takes a long time as we have to plan a meal, cook, take pictures, edit photos, etc etc… but it’s fun especially working with food! 🙂 Technical part is the tough part for me. So many things I want to get it done but I’m lacking knowledge. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback Agnes!
Hi Nami,
I love Poke! Where did you find the Poke mix?
I’m glad to hear your hosting migration is fixed. =)
Thanks Candice! I think I got it in Nijiya. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Can you substitute tuna with salmon? Recipe looks amazing
Hi Sam! Yes you can. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Hi Nami,
It turned out it really well but i used Kizami Nori. The only thing is i can’t find ogo seaweed. Is there another name for ogo seaweed? I”m going to make the recipe again 🙂
Take Care
Sam
Hi Sam! Thank you so much for writing feedback! Glad to hear it turned out well.
According to wiki, it says ogonori is also called ogo or sea moss. I took out only ogo from Poke Mix (https://www.justonecookbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Poke-Mix.jpg).
If you can get sashimi-grade fish, I hope the same store (maybe) carry the poke mix. Good luck! 🙂
I see your “never miss a recipe” at the bottom…..I put my email address there but now what?…..there is no send button
Hi David! If you look at the box it says “Enter your email address and hit return”. That’s how the web designer made…
Hi!!! Just discovered this site when searching for takouaki recipe. Now ive surelu fallen diwn the rabbit hole. This look wonderful. Can we switch the tuna for salmon?
Hi Lisa! Thank you for discovering my site and welcome to JOC! Yes, you can use salmon for this recipe. 🙂 Enjoy!
I really love reading and making your recipes.
Do you have a recipe for Ikayaki ?
So good with Japanese mayo
Hi Pierre! I don’t have it, but it’s easy, make the sauce (1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp mirin, optional sugar, grated ginger). Cook the squid, and add a splash of sake and let it steam cook. And add the sauce and coat well. Yes, good with mayo! Enjoy!
Hi Nami,
I have been following you and cooking your recipes for years but have never left a comment before. I love your website and videos and have also been following Miso on instagram since I have a new puppy myself. My mother was from Tokyo and was a great cook so the food you make is nostalgic for me. I made this for lunch today with the addition of cucumber cubes. My husband and I loved it! Thanks for the amazing work you and your husband put into this website. It brings me much joy and yummy dishes!
Hi Susan! Thank you so much for trying my recipes for years. I’m glad to hear you and your husband enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your feedback!