Poke is simple, which is exactly why the fish decides everything. A handful of ingredients, no cooking, nothing to hide behind. Get good ahi and treat it with respect, and you are most of the way there. This is the classic Hawaiian ahi poke we grew up on, the shoyu style, cut and seasoned the way it is done at home in the islands.
What is ahi poke
Poke, which means to slice or cut crosswise in Hawaiian, is raw fish cut into cubes and seasoned. Ahi poke is the version made with tuna, either bigeye or yellowfin, and it is the one most people picture. The classic seasoning is shoyu, sesame oil, sweet onion, green onion, and Hawaiian salt, sometimes with limu seaweed and inamona. It leans on the fish, not the sauce.
Start with the right ahi
This is the part that matters most. You want sashimi-grade ahi, a clean block with a deep, even color and no strong smell. Bigeye is richer and more marbled, yellowfin is leaner and brighter, and both make excellent poke. We buy ours every morning at the Honolulu fish auction, the only fresh tuna auction in the United States, and grade it the way we grade for the islands' best kitchens. If you want the best of it, our Hawaiian ahi ships cut to order and cold, ready for poke. If you would rather skip the knife entirely, our Hawaiian Ahi Poke Cut arrives already cubed by hand, ready to season.
Not sure what sashimi-grade actually means, or shopping online for it? We wrote a plain guide to buying sashimi-grade fish online.
Ingredients
Makes about 4 appetizer servings, roughly 1 pound of fish.
- 1 lb sashimi-grade ahi (bigeye or yellowfin), cut into 3/4-inch cubes, or 1 lb Hawaiian Ahi Poke Cut, already cubed
- 1/4 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 sweet Maui onion, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon limu (ogo seaweed), chopped, optional
- 1 teaspoon inamona (roasted kukui nut), optional
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili, or 1 Hawaiian chili pepper, optional
- Toasted sesame seeds, to finish
How to make it
- Keep the fish cold. Leave the ahi in the refrigerator until the moment you cut it. Cold fish cuts cleanly and stays firm. Use a sharp knife and cut even 3/4-inch cubes.
- Build the base. In a bowl, combine the shoyu, sesame oil, Maui onion, green onion, and Hawaiian salt. Add the limu and inamona now if you are using them.
- Fold in the ahi. Add the cubes and fold gently until just coated. Be easy with it. You want clean, whole pieces, not a paste.
- Let it rest. Chill 5 to 10 minutes so the seasoning meets the fish. Classic poke is barely marinated, the ahi should still taste like ahi.
- Finish and serve. Taste and adjust the salt. Finish with sesame seeds and chili. Serve cold, over hot rice, on its own, or with chips.
A few things that make it better
- Cut size. Three-quarter-inch cubes are the sweet spot. Big enough to feel like fish, small enough to season through.
- Sweet onion, not yellow. Maui or another sweet onion keeps it mild. Yellow onion can bully the fish.
- Do not drown it. More shoyu is not more flavor. Start light, you can always add.
- Eat it the same day. Poke is best within a few hours of mixing, and no later than the next day.
Three ways to make it your own
Shoyu poke is the recipe above, the everyday classic. Limu poke leans traditional, with more limu and a real hit of inamona. Spicy ahi poke adds a spoon of Japanese mayo and a little sriracha or chili oil folded in at the end, with masago if you have it. Same fish, same care, different mood. For a full bowl with rice and toppings, see our guide to building a better poke bowl at home.
Common questions
What does sashimi-grade or sushi-grade ahi mean?
Neither is a legal or graded term. In practice it means fish that has been handled, kept cold, and selected to be eaten raw. What actually matters is trust in whoever sold it to you. We grade our ahi off the auction floor the same way we grade for restaurants, so you know what you are getting.
Can I use frozen ahi for poke?
Yes, if it was flash-frozen at its peak and thawed properly. Poor thawing is what ruins good frozen fish, so follow our guide on how to thaw frozen fish the right way, then use it as you would fresh.
How long does poke keep?
Eat it the day you make it for the best texture, and within 24 hours at the latest. Keep it cold until you serve it.
What cut of ahi is best for poke?
A clean sashimi block, cut fresh into cubes. For a special batch, our Ultra grade, which exceeds standard sashimi grade, is the one to reach for.
Get the fish right
Good poke is a short recipe with one long requirement, and that is the ahi. Start there. Our Hawaiian ahi and tuna is cut to order and shipped cold, the same fish we sell to the islands' best kitchens. For poke specifically, the Poke Cut is the same fish with the knife work already done.
Selected by Ham. Honolulu since 1981.