Recently a dear friend of mine who lives in Kapa’a, on the “coconut coast” of Kauai, Hawaii, told me a story about some good fortune he had received. It seems his neighbor had experienced an extremely good day fishing, and was kind enough to share his bounty with Stephen and his family. A beautiful Ahi tuna. I could hardly imagine such a wonderful gift (Of course I realize that living in Colorado, the odds that anyone would drop by with a fresh caught tuna are pretty slim).

Kauai, known as the “Garden Isle” is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands. It gets is nickname due to the fact that 97% of the island is composed of undeveloped mountain ranges and rainforests. Kauai also has 43 miles of beaches, the most per coastal mile of any of the Hawaiian islands.

A couple of important parts of Hawaiian culture are family and food. I knew that Stephen, being a native Hawaiian, would do something wonderful with the fish, and of course include his family in whatever it was he decided to do. He told me he used the fresh fish to create a poke, which is a Hawaiian term meaning to slice or cut. As soon as I saw the photo of the amazing looking dish that he had prepared, I begged him for the recipe. He chuckled due to the fact that he and his family make poke on a regular basis and have for many years. As in many traditional types of dishes, the recipes are not written, just learned and passed from one family member to another. Stephen was gracious enough to speak with his mother and put together a “recipe” for me to share. So Stephen to you and your family (and your neighbor) I say “Mahalo Nui Loa”.

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Ahi Poke

Mouthwatering bites of tender fresh ahi are the star of this delicious and health treat.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Hawaiian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 pound sashimi-grade ahi tuna cut into 1/2″ cubes
• ¼ cup Maui sweet onion thinly sliced
• ¼ cup green onions diced
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger root grated
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon dark sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon chili oil
• ½ teaspoon red Hawaiian Alaea sea salt or Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours to let flavors develop and marry.

Serve

• Place some poke in a martini glass and call it a “poke-‘tini”.
• Cut up won ton skins into triangles and fry in oil until crispy golden brown. Drain on paper bag. Sprinkle with a little sea salt while still hot. Line a serving plate with shredded Napa cabbage, then begin with a layer of chips, spoon some poke on the chips, then repeat layers building up to three layers–depending how high you want to make them. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce. Garnish with cilantro.

Notes

Note from Stephen: This is basically how we make it, but it’s mostly eyeballing the seasonings for the fish, and tasting to correct, if needed.

You can serve the poke in a martini glass and call it a “poke-‘tini”. Or you can eat it as a salad appetizer, like we locals do at the pu-pu hour–and you know how we like to eat poke while drinking da kine beer! Another way of serving the poke is over a salad of micro-greens that have been dressed with a light Asian vinaigrette and topped with the poke.

Or you can eat the poke as nachos: First, cut up some won ton skins into triangles and then fry them until crispy golden brown. Drain on paper bag, rather than paper towels. Sprinkle a little salt while they are still hot. Then to plate, line the serving plate with shredded Napa cabbage, then begin a layer of won ton chips, spoon some poke on the chips, then begin another layer of chips and more poke, building up to three layers–depending how high you want to make them. There is NO cheese whatsoever in this nachos recipe!  Serve with some wasabi and soy sauce. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro. (But if you don’t care for cilantro, then omit it, or maybe a sprig of Thai basil.) A hui hou!

Today the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the bulbs are pushing their way up through the remains of winter. This is the kind of day that really gets my spring fever acting up.  I know it is not officially spring yet with the vernal equinox still a week away, but it feels like the new season to me.  We will of course be slapped with a few more bouts of snow and cold, but overall the outlook is promising.

As the days grow longer, I find myself craving light and fresh foods. The warm spring days seem to signal an end to casseroles and pots of stew, and wave on the salads and the grill.  It is also this time each year that I have a hard time switching gears and thinking of what to prepare. Salad has been sounding extra good, and then I saw some luscious Yellow Fin Tuna at the market and something clicked — Salade Niçoise!

Salade Niçoise or Nice Salad, is named for an area in France known as the Nice region. Situated along the cost of the Mediterranean Sea between Cannes and Monaco, the Côte d’Azur or French Riviera, is believed to be among the oldest human settlements in Europe. The creation of this salad is rumored to have been influenced by the world renowned choreographer Balanchine during his tenure in Monte Carlo, and made famous in America by Julia Child, the French Chef.

The original version of the salad is made with a bed of fresh greens, raw red peppers, ripe tomato wedges, shallots, artichoke hearts, hard boiled eggs, and Cailletier olives, tossed in a light vinaigrette and topped with canned tuna (packed in oil) and anchovies.  There are now many versions of this salad, most commonly updated by using seared tuna instead of canned.

There really is no secret to this dish other than if you plan to use seared tuna, use the freshest fish you can get your hands on. I choose a sashimi grade tuna, which I purchase the same day I intend to make the salad.  A pound of this wonderful fish will run you between $20 and $25, but do not compromise on this item, and remember a pound will easily serve 6 people.  I have tried using a lesser quality tuna purchased for half the price and found it to be unacceptable for this preparation.

To pan sear tuna, use a heavy skillet that will withstand high heat. Get the skillet hot.  Do not add oil to the pan, it will only smoke.  Rub all sides of the fish with a light coat of olive oil. I like to encrust the fillet by rolling in black pepper, and black sesame seeds. When the pan is extremely hot, a drizzle a very small amount of olive oil in the center of the pan and immediately place the fish. Watch the side of the fillet to know when to turn.  It only takes a minute or so for a thin band of white to form. Turn and repeat, watching again for the narrow band to appear.  You really need to monitor this closely to avoid overcooking.  Use a very sharp knife to slice, cutting across the grain of the fish.

To prepare a Light Vinaigrette Dressing for Salad Niçoise:

• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk, or shake in a tightly closed jar.

Seared Yellow Fin Tuna served over cucumber spaghetti with wasabi and soy.