Hawaiian Poke – A Fresh and Easy
Summer Recipe

The Grounds by the Sea is a really exciting installation to be a part of and it offers an opportunity to mix things up in the kitchen and create a new menu offering for our guests. Being back by the beach in Bondi I wanted to create something with seafood (which I love) and to ensure we were providing options that are light and refreshing, very health conscious and also easy to eat for our guests.

Poke, meaning “to section, slice, or cut”, is a dish prepared with fresh, marinated raw tuna. I was inspired to create a recipe from a variety of different cultural dishes. For example, in polynesian culture they make a dish called Poisson Cru, which is raw white fish marinated with coconut and citrus, while Hawaiian Poke traditionally uses tuna with soy and a few other ingredients.

This is a well-balanced dish of flavours and textures with the Albacore tuna, coconut milk and citrus, but also a few extra ingredients Australian’s love such as avocado and cucumber, which makes it a perfect Sydney seaside combination.

There’s a lot to love about this dish. I’m really passionate about cooking with fresh, healthy ingredients and this dish encompasses that entirely. It’s dairy free, gluten free, very healthy, simple to prepare and a really enjoyable dish to have on a warm day.

If you’re re-creating this at home, my three tips to make it perfect are:

1) Use fresh tuna. It’s so important with a dish served raw that the quality of the tuna is incredibly high. It’s imperative for the flavour and texture in the dish, and also the health of your guests!

2) Choose quality ingredients. As there’s no cooking in this dish, there’s no way of masking the quality of your ingredients. The freshness and texture are important, it needs to be crunchy and fresh.

3) Ensure the dish is served cold. When plating, I recommend creating a bed of ice in the bottom of the bowl before you plate up your ingredients. This will keep your dish as fresh as possible when served and maximise the quality of your ingredients (it will also definitely make you look you know what you’re doing).

Recipe – serves 4

Ingredients

• 600g fresh Albacore Tuna
• 250ml coconut cream
• 2 diced avocados
• 1 diced cucumber
• 1 julienned spanish onion
• 1 sliced shallot
• 16 baby cos lettuce leaves
• 2 tbsp gluten free soy
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp yuzu juice
• 2 finely chopped red chillies
• 1 bunch baby coriander

Method

To create the Poke,

1. Roughly dice up chunks of tuna in to about 1cm cubed pieces
2. Combine tuna, avocado, cucumber, Spanish onion, and shallots in a large mixing bowl
3. Season with coconut cream, lime juice, yuzu juice, soy sauce, baby coriander and chilli. Taste as you add and adjust chilli and acidity according to personal preference
4. Stir all ingredients together to create an evenly combined mixture

At home tip: If you don’t have yuzu tree out the back, substitute yuzu juice with lemon juice, but be sure to taste test as you add it to ensure the acidity is balanced.

To plate,

1. Create a bed of freshly washed & dried baby cos lettuce leaves in a shallow bowl
2. Spoon the poke mixture into the centre of the bowl
3. Serve immediately

Serving tip: This is an interactive dish where guests can get hands-on, so be sure to provide a way for them to cleanse their hands at the table. Offer cleansing hand towels that have been soaked in water with a few drops of lemon and eucalyptus oils.