The first time I ever heard about Poke was at a Reef Brazil sales meeting in the mid 90s. The Hawaiian Rep and I were comparing traditional native dishes from Hawaii and the Caribbean. I had just got off the subject of Crab Back (Land Crab) when he asked me if I knew what a Poke Bowl was. Originally Poke is a term for a hash of fish scraps mixed with crisp limu or seaweed, crushed kukui nuts and sea salt. This dish has been part of Hawaiian culture long before the arrival of Captain Cook. In its modern incarnation it comes in many forms. Additional ingredients like soy sauce or shoyu, Shichimi Togarashi, toasted sesame oil, garlic, Sriracha, mayonnaise, and eel sauce have opened up the door to many variations of this dish. In Hawaii you can walk right into just about any Foodland and find all sorts different Poke in the deli counter that they make up fresh every day.
When we lived on Indian River Drive in Martin County FL we had this great fish monger at Stuart Fine Foods named Bob who sourced incredible seafood. Great Yellowfin Tuna is a necessity for for this dish and Bob would have very nice loins of Tuna in the counter quite frequently (take a good look at the pics below). So starting off with the basic Hawaiian Poke Recipe we have refined it and made some adjustments. Heck I only have one ingredient is this recipe but the Bomba Cherry Pepper Paste is a really good sub for the Shichimi Togarashi. The Macadamia nuts well kukui nuts are not east to find. Any ways we really love Poke and thought we would spread a little Aloha Rocky Mountain Style.
