Tuna Poke

For those of you like me that have always loved our rendition of the tuna tower, we would like to introduce to you what may be somewhat referred to as its cousin - the tuna poke.  This week we are featuring sashimi grade yellow fin tuna mixed with an asian chili sauce, cilantro, sesame seeds and cashews. This amazing, flavorful blend is then served over cucumbers and ginger. A handful of fried wontons provide an "edible" spoon to consume this dish.

This first few days that this dish has been on, we have received wonderful reviews. It is something you will not want to miss. But what exactly is poke?  If you have never heard of this dish, here is a little background.

Usually when you think of consuming raw fish, you normally think of Far East cuisine. However, this dish has its roots in the USA... Hawaii that is. Pronounced "poh-keh," it literally means "cut piece" or "small piece" in Hawaiian. Poke are bite-sized pieces of raw fish blended with several seasonings. It can be compared to elegant Japanese sashimi served as raw fish, although at times it can be lightly seared or pan fried.

The history of this dish is a little unclear; however, for centuries poke has been found at almost every Hawaiian meal as a side dish. In keeping with highlighting the "classics" here, it is said to have begun when early fisherman would cut their fresh catch into cubes and season it with whatever ingredients they had. Most common basic ingredients included sea salt or seaweed. Nowadays, you can almost always find a variety of this dish at any local grocery store, and every family has their own recipe. It has become a Hawaiian comfort food that started to span the globe in the 1970s. So come down and enjoy this Hawaiian classic while it lasts.