Healthy Hawaiian Poke

As the first blog for the new year I really wanted to a recipe that focuses on how good healthy food can taste. Especially with our recent trip to Hawaii it really brought me back to all the delicious flavors that are simple yet complex. Hawaiians love their fish and we definitely ate our share because its tasty and fresh. One of the dishes that I craved every day was Poke. So I wanted to make my version of poke and share it with everybody here.

In Hawaii, they use a lot of ahi tuna for their poke which unfortunately is quite high in mercury. Since it is a larger fish, we shouldn’t be eating it more than once a week. I wanted to use salmon* in my poke recipe so you can get all the benefits of eating fish without the worries of the mercury. Plus, salmon is a great source of omega 3s which we can all use a bit more of. Now if only I can recreate the Hawaiian scenery plus weather and I’m all set!

*One thing to note, since poke is a raw fish preparation be sure to buy fish that has been classified as sashimi or sushi grade to avoid eating anything that could cause you to become ill.

Hawaiian Salmon Poke

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Salmon
1 Avocado
3 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Ginger root, diced
1 stalk Green onions, diced
1 tsp Hot pepper flakes
2 tsp Rice wine vinegar
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Dried seaweed
1 tsp Sesame seeds

Preparation:

Cut salmon in to 1/2 inch cubes and set aside in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Open up avocados and also cut it in to small cubes and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, green onions, hot pepper flakes, rice wine vinegar and salt.

Pour the marinade to the salmon and mix to ensure all the pieces are covered. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the salmon to pick up the flavours of the marinade.

When ready to serve add the avocados, dried seaweed and sesame seeds to the mixture and combine. This way it avoids the avocados from turning brown.

If needed add a bit more salt to taste and eat on its own or serve over a bed of rice and veggies.

Enjoy!