Food - Drink
How You Should Be Seasoning Poke
By LAUREN ROTHMAN
Poke is an iconic Hawaiian dish that typically consists of cubes of raw fish, such as tuna or salmon, layered over rice and garnished with sauces and toppings. As long as you have access to sushi-grade fish, poke is easy to make at home, but you should know how to season the seafood you're working with for best results.
If you've ever tried poke from a restaurant, it might have tasted rather salty, but Hawaiian chef Mark Noguchi says that it's best to season poke gently. He uses half a teaspoon of salt per pound of fish, scattering the salt over the diced fish laid on a paper towel, then letting it sit in the fridge for an hour to draw out excess moisture.
Noguchi's go-to dressing calls for a tablespoon of soy sauce per pound of fish, plus fresh chiles and blanched seaweed. As long as you use a gentle hand, you can use other dressings plus traditional toppings like sesame seeds, sesame oil, and scallions, but always taste your poke before you decide to add more seasoning.