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When vacation feels too far away, I love turning to this Hawaiian-Inspired Spicy Tuna Poke! So fresh, so flavorful, and brings the vacation vibes home all year round.
With the weather warming up, I have had a huge craving for poke. That and a trip to Kauai, which is thankfully coming up soon! But while I wait, I thought it would be fun to try an at-home rendition of one of my favorite dishes when vacationing in Kauai, Spicy Tuna Poke.
Poke, pronounced po-kay, is diced raw fish served either as an appetizer or a main course and is one of the main dishes of Native Hawaiian cuisine. The word poke, meaning “chunk” in Hawaiian, is typically any meat or seafood that is cut into small chunks and marinated. When referring to poke nowadays, it is generally seafood. [source: Food and Wine]
Making your own poke at home is extremely easy. The only feat is finding really fresh, high-quality tuna. I typically find mine at my favorite local seafood shop (I love TJ’s Seafood in Dallas), my favorite local Asian grocery store (I love H Mart), or I find it at Central Market (they have a great seafood selection and very helpful fishmongers). When you buy fresh tuna from a seafood counter or fish market, it should have a firm texture and rich, red color. You can also find sushi-grade tuna flash frozen, and that works in this recipe as well. Don’t be afraid to ask your local fishmonger for help in finding the freshest tuna they have or if they even have it at all!
Back to this Hawaiian-Inspired Spicy Tuna Poke though…inspired by my travels, I’ve made a simple yet delicious recipe to enjoy at home. Once you’ve made the poke and let it chill, you can either eat it alone, or build out your bowl however you please. You can see in the photo how I jazzed mine up with some rice, avocado, cucumber, jalapeño, radishes, and nori strips… but you do you!
Ingredients: for the spicy tuna poke
- Homemade Mayo
- Sriracha
- Coconut Aminos
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Fresh Yellowfin or Big-Eye Tuna Steak (Ask for sushi-grade tuna)
- Green Onion
- Kosher Salt
- See recipe below for serving suggestions!
Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step One: Make the Marinade
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, sriracha, coconut aminos, and sesame oil until well combined. Set aside.
Step Two: Cut the Tuna
Next, using a very sharp knife, cut the tuna steak into small, ¼ inch cubes.
Step Three: Toss the tuna into the marinade
Add the diced tuna, green onion, and salt into the large bowl with the mayo mixture. Gently toss until well combined.
Step Four: Chill the poke
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld and the tuna to chill.
Step Five: Serve and enjoy!
Serve as desired with rice, thinly sliced radishes, some avocado, diced cucumber, nori strips, jalapenos, and microgreens.
Recipe FAQs:
Look for sushi-grade ahi/yellowfin or big-eye tuna from a trusted seafood counter. The quality of the tuna makes a big difference! If you can’t find this fresh, frozen works here as well.
The tuna needs to marinate and chill for at least 30 minutes prior to serving, but can be made and stored in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance.
You could enjoy as-is without the rice, in lettuce cups, with nori sheets…the options are endless!
This Hawaiian-Inspired Spicy Tuna Poke is so delicious and I can’t wait to eat it all summer long by the pool! Comment below once you try it!
For more recipes inspired by my Kauai travels:
Cucumber Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
Hawaiian-Inspired Spicy Tuna Poke
Ingredients
For the Spicy-Tuna Poke:
- 3 tbsp homemade mayo
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ pounds fresh yellowfin or big-eye tuna steak (ask for sushi grade tuna)
- 1/2 cup very thinly sliced green onion
- ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
Optional, for serving:
- Steamed rice I used brown rice
- 4 radishes, very thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, diced
- Nori strips
- Thinly sliced jalapeno
- Microgreens
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, sriracha, coconut aminos, and sesame oil until well combined. Set aside.
- Next, using a very sharp knife, cut the tuna steak into small, ¼ inch cubes.
- Add the diced tuna, green onion and salt into the large bowl with the mayo mixture. Gently toss until well combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld and the tuna to chill.
- Serve as desired with rice, thinly sliced radishes, some avocado, diced cucumber, nori strips, jalapenos, and microgreens.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
This was phenomenal. I have never tried poke, my husband loves it, so I made it and …I’m a huge fan. Absolutely delicious ! Thank you !
I have been missing poke since we moved from Hawaii and I am SO happy I tried this recipe finally! It tastes EXACTLY like what I’ve been missing! Thank you Alex, this will definitely be a staple treat in our house for sure, it was amazing!
instead of tuna, do you think it would be good if i used the same ingredients but with pulled pork?
So amazing! Bursting with flavor.
Quotes from my boyfriend “this is five star” / “this is the best meal I’ve ever had”. Love poke bowls and they’re fun to put a bunch of veggies in! 10/10 on this recipe!