When you’re in Hawaii, there’s a good very chance you’ll see poke (pronounced po-keh) on the menus and in the grocery stores. Next, you may be wondering what it is. Poke is fresh, raw ahi tuna cut into cubes and usually mixed with diced onion, seaweed, soy sauce, sesame oil and spices.
I’m not much of an adventurous sushi/sashimi partaker and even I have an appreciation for poke. It melts in your mouth.
Here are a couple of useful links and articles for learning more about poke: Poke: the joys of a Hawaiian appetizer.
If you’d like to try poke on your Hawaii vacation, many restaurants have it as an appetizers. The grocery store chains sell poke, too.
For those readers who live in Hawaii or visit it frequently, please comment to tell us where your favorite place is for poke.
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Since I grew up on the mainland... I actually have an irrational fear of the stuff.
I think my fear of raw fish was caused by my childhood. I was taught at a very early age to always wash my hands and everything else that came in contact with raw fish & raw chicken or risk catching some sort of life-threatening disease. And… The fish & chicken always needs to be cooked well-done, or you risk becoming infested with all sorts of blood-thirsty parasites.
So… Even though I know this isn’t exactly true… I still don't even want to touch the stuff with my bare hands. The thought of putting it in my mouth is down right scary.
Keep in mind... I am a total oddball. Everyone else on the islands LOVES the stuff.
Mmmmm - I can haz poke? ;-)
I loved Poke... I think the name makes it sound a lot weirder than it really is. It's just ahi tuna. :)
I have to laugh. Great photo, it's a great favorite, the other ingredients are great, but, when I eat meat, not matter what kind, it has GOT to be cooked! Poke is raw fish. Top quality, sashimi-grade tuna, but raw nonetheless. Ick!
Now, poke shrimp is to die for and I can eat that all day, with poi on the side! I found that out by accident but the combination is a great one! Hmmm... think I'll keep this link and talk about it later. :)
Hawai...?? i'd love to come there...
The photo of poke reminds me of the sweet memories I had while traveling in Oahu. I was not game enough to try poke, though ;p but I was certainly intrigued with this local dish. I look forward to visiting Hawaii again - and hopefully, to Kauai and other surrounding islands
Hi Sheila,
Great to see how much fun you're having in Hawaii! Living on Oahu, my favorite place for poke are Yama's Fishmarket (on Young Street), Tamashiro Market (in Kalihi), Tanioka's (in Waipahu), and Poke Stop (in Waipahu). All great places for fresh fish and you can see the different varieties that locals love to eat :)
By the way, poke and beer is a great combo for pau hana (after work) or a football game!
@ Dave - I can relate to your fears.
@ Andy - yes you can haz. :-) Actually, we did have poke a couple of times, didn't we?
@ Jim - yeah, but poke (po-key) sounds cooler, doesn't it? ;)
@ Evelyn - you bring up a good point...I should have said raw instead of rare. I'll fix that. Mmmmm....poke shrimp.....that does sound good!
@ Charmaine - I hope you can get back to Hawaii soon. I just returned from Kauai and it was wonderful! If you've never been there, you're in for a real treat!
@ Michael - Thanks so much for adding your favorite places for poke on Oahu! I'm making a mental note for my next visit already. :-)
It sounds like a dessert, not an appetizer. :)
I just wanted to add that Andy and I were impressed with the variety of poke from Safeway grocery stores. We sampled a few and they were really quite good.