Tanner’s Slow Cal Poke

Ready in: 20

Makes: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• • 1 lb Fresh local tuna, cubed (local bluefin or yellowfin preferred)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil (toasted or regular)
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar or mirin
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (black, white, or both)
  • 3 tablespoons thinly sliced or diced sweet onion
  • 3 tablespoons sliced green onion (plus more for garnish)
  • Seaweed salad, optional
  • 1 avocado, sliced added on top, not mixed in
  • Sliced baby cucumbers (salted), added on top, not mixed in
  • Spicy Mayo (srihacha & mayo mixed) as a saucy, bougie-garnish
  • 1 tablespoon diced chives added on top, not mixed in

Method

1. Cut tuna into bite-sized cubes, setting aside any pieces with excess connective tissue.
2. Add tuna to a bowl and lightly season with first tamari or soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and lastly sesame oil. Gently toss to coat.
3. Fold in sweet onion, green onion, and add seaweed salad if available, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
4. Serve immediately or chilled, decorated with avocado and cucumber slices, drizzled homemade spicy mayo, additional green onion and chives.  
5. Serve on its own or over warm or cold rice.

This is my version of poke.

Not traditional, not fancy, just how we actually make it at home in San Diego or when we’re down in Cabo.

I come from a third-generation fishing family, and now I’m cooking as a mom. This is the kind of meal that shows up on a normal night when the fish is good and time is short. It’s built around what my husband, brother, dad, uncles, and close friends are catching, and cooked with a lot of respect for the fish.

These guys go out of their way to rest the fish into perfect rigor mortis so we get the best quality possible. Honestly, we usually only turn to poke when we’re hosting or after we’ve gone through plate after plate of sashimi and are ready for something different. Sometimes you just get tired of sashimi and want a bowl you can eat with a spoon.

This recipe and these photos are based on about a 1.5-inch loin piece cut from a roughly 120 lb tuna. When we land a fish that size, this is the clean top loin section I reach for first. Firm, fresh, and perfect for eating raw. This one was a yellowfin the boys caught off the coast of Baja, and we actually flew home with it in our carry-on, partially frozen to keep it cold.

I prefer bluefin or yellowfin tuna. I usually save the tail pieces with more connective tissue for a spiny mayo mix that I love to spoon onto crispy rice, which I’ll share later.

Seaweed salad is optional and not always easy to find, but if you are looking, El Pescador Fish Market carries it, pickup a calamari sandwich while you're at it, and for my North County friends, Cardiff Seaside Market does too.

Avocado always goes on top, never mixed in. Trust me on that one.