POKE

Ingredients

• Hawaiian-style poke
• 600 g sashimi-grade ʻahi (yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares) or aku (Katsuwonus pelamis), caught within twenty-four hours, never previously frozen; cut into 2 cm cubes
• 1 tsp paʻakai (ʻalaea red clay salt preferred), Hawaiian sea salt
• 30 g limu kohu, fresh red alga; vibrant and unwilted
• 2 tbsp inamona, kukui nuts roasted in-shell, then hand-crushed
• Shoyu-style poke (alternative dressing)
• 3 tbsp quality shoyu, Aloha brand in Hawaiʻi
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 60 g sweet Maui onion, thinly sliced
• 20 g green onion, thinly sliced
• 30 g ogo seaweed, fresh

Method

1. 1
   Roast kukui nuts in-shell over low heat, shaking the pan, until the shells are uniformly darkened and the interior meat is fragrant with a toasted, earthy richness. Crack the shells and hand-crush the kernels to a coarse, granular paste — this is the inamona. The nose tells you when the roast is correct: a deep, nutty warmth, with no bitterness.
2. 2
   Examine the fish before cutting. The flesh must be deep ruby to garnet, surfaces clean, with no browning, greying, or iridescence. Any oxidation disqualifies the piece. Confirm zero fishiness at the nose — the aroma must read as clean ocean, like standing at a sea wall at dawn. If the fish does not pass both tests, do not proceed.
3. 3
   Cut the fish into cubes of approximately 2 cm (three-quarter inch). Edges should be precise and surfaces clean. Irregular or torn cuts accelerate oxidation and signal careless handling. The visual standard: uniform ruby cubes with no ragged faces.
4. 4
   For Hawaiian-style: place the cubed fish in a bowl. Add the paʻakai, fresh limu kohu, and inamona. Turn gently to coat — do not compress or overwork the fish. The seasoning must distribute evenly without breaking the cube. Taste: salt arrives first, then the clean sweetness of the tuna, then the briny depth of the limu, then the earthy, granular richness of the inamona. The fish flavour must persist through the finish. If any single seasoning dominates and the fish cannot be tasted through it, the balance has failed.
5. 5
   For shoyu-style: combine shoyu, toasted sesame oil, sliced Maui onion, green onion, and ogo seaweed with the cubed fish. Turn once, gently. Marinate at cool room temperature for no more than thirty minutes. The fish must absorb the seasoning without losing its own character. Taste at the thirty-minute mark: the fish flavour must still arrive clearly and persist. If the shoyu dominates the nose or overwhelms the palate, the marinade is excessive.
6. 6
   Serve at cool room temperature — not ice-cold. Cold numbs flavour. The final texture test: each cube should yield under the tooth with brief, pleasant resistance before giving way to buttery softness. The limu should provide counterpoint crunch. The inamona should register as a granular, nutty dimension that extends the flavour beyond the initial bite.