Being a Hawaii girl – born & raised, I have a love for all things seafood… yes, even raw seafood. The islands are my home and as a child I learned to fish and dive for my food to provide for my family. Because of this, special recipes passed down over the years are favorites of mine and I absolutely love sharing my love for my culture with my friends around the World. Poisson Cru, otherwise known as Tahitian Style Poke (poke = po – ke) is different from the familiar Ahi Poke you see in Hawaiian style restaurants. It’s a poke that is similar to ceviche with ingredients like lime juice to marinate the fish, but also uses coconut milk to give it a different texture and taste. It’s a tangy take on the original Poke you may be used to at a Lu’au but just as delicious and full with fresh ingredients to make a hearty and tasty dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh fish (I used ahi – but you can select to use snapper or swordfish also). Cut your fish in 1 3/4 inch x 1/4 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons Masago/Tobiko (orange fish roe) this is not a traditional ingredient, but I love it and it really adds to the flavor and texture
- 1 small sweet round onion (Kula Onion from Maui is the best, but any sweet round onion will do). Minced
- 1 small Japanese cucumber, chopped
- 4-5 stalks green onion, chopped. Separate the white and the green parts – chop both
- 1 large tomato – seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup lime juice (fresh preferred)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (fresh preferred, but you could get the type in a can or frozen in the ethnic food section.)
- 2 pinches Hawaiian Rock Salt or Ala’e
- Sprig of Cilantro (I use this for garnish)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ahi (or fish of choice) with all of the ingredients, except use only the white parts of the green onion.
- Allow to sit for 10 minutes (place in the refrigerator while waiting).
- Prior to serving, drain the excess liquid and taste the poke to adjust seasoning.
- Add more hawaiian salt or coconut milk if you need.
- Garnish with the green parts of the chopped green onion and cilantro.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh fish (I used ahi – but you can select to use snapper or swordfish also). Cut your fish in 1 3/4 inch x 1/4 inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons Masago/Tobiko (orange fish roe) this is not a traditional ingredient, but I love it and it really adds to the flavor and texture
- 1 small sweet round onion (Kula Onion from Maui is the best, but any sweet round onion will do). Minced
- 1 small Japanese cucumber, chopped
- 4-5 stalks green onion, chopped. Separate the white and the green parts – chop both
- 1 large tomato – seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup lime juice (fresh preferred)
- 1/4 cup coconut milk (fresh preferred, but you could get the type in a can or frozen in the ethnic food section.)
- 2 pinches Hawaiian Rock Salt or Ala’e
- Sprig of Cilantro (I use this for garnish)
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, combine the ahi (or fish of choice) with all of the ingredients, except use only the white parts of the green onion. Allow to sit for 10 minutes (place in the refrigerator while waiting). Prior to serving, drain the excess liquid and taste the poke to adjust seasoning. Add more hawaiian salt or coconut milk if you need. Garnish with the green parts of the chopped green onion and sprig of cilantro.
Service:
Serve the preparation of the Poisson Cru immediately after it has sit for the 10 minutes. This mixture will serve about 8. If you will not be serving this mixture immediately – please prep and cut all items but do not mix together until ready to serve.
**This is my take on the Poisson Cru recipe. There are many available now a days with personal interpretations of the recipe as well as additional or less products. You can definitely use my recipe as inspiration to add different takes.
What is Pokē?
Pokē is traditionally made with yellowfin tuna or ahi. The traditional poke consists of ahi tuna, green onions, chili peppers, hawaiian sea salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, roasted kukui nut (candlenut) and limu and served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. It is often referred to as a raw fish salad. Pokē is the Hawaiian verb for “section” or “to slice or cut” and refers to the slices / cuts of the pieces that are mixed into this salad.
I hope you enjoyed this easy to create recipe. Some of the ingredients may be a bit challenging to find, but you can get the roe and fish at most fish markets and the other items like coconut milk at the ethnic section of your store. If you try this recipe, please come back & let me know. Are you a fish eater? Do you think you would enjoy something like this?
18 Comments
YUM! Jealous of the fresh fish you have readily available. Here in the desert, its difficult to find it. I love heading to visit my folks in Seattle (FRESH SEAFOOD) and visiting my other family on Oahu…MORE FRESH SEAFOOD!! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe. I’ll pass it to the hubs as he is our chef and he knows I LOOOOOVE poke. 🙂
Girl… yes, Poke is so good 😉 How awesome to have Ohana in Oahu. And, fish from Seattle – so yum too.
What a beautiful dish! I love that your Hawaiian culture is so important to you <3
Thank you so much 😉 It is important, because it’s getting less and less perpetuated here now a days.
yum this sounds really good!
thank you 😉
Love when you share your Hawaiian culture! I’m so fascinated by it, and would love to one day visit the gorgeous Hawaii! <3
thanks girl. 😉 Yes, you and your little guy must come and visit.
I love anything with coconut milk, so this appeals to me!
Oh – me too – I love coconut milk. You will love this.
*dies* I would love this! Too bad we can only get frozen fish in my part of the country.
Oh man… that’s a bummer… fresh fish is definitely a must.
I’ve not tried this kind of fish. It sounds delicious.
it’s delish – but you can make it with swordfish too.
Wow, this is YUM! I love experiencing with different types of fish. Thanks for the inspiration!
YUM! This sounds amazing
Looks and sounds yummy x
I am not a fish fan (I know, I know.) but my kids love it!