Hawaiian Poké

In Hawaii there is an absolutely delicious food – poke (pronounced poh-keh). “Poke is a raw fish salad served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine, and sometimes as an entree. Poke is the Hawaiian verb for section, to slice, or cut.” Lately, poke or poke bowls have become very famous in the Continental U.S. Although this dish has been served for years in Hawaii it has recently gained popularity in big cities with many restaurants specializing on poke bowls. These bowls are similar to sushi, they start with a bowl of sushi rice and then topped with raw fish and veggies or seasonings. I had never tried poke until last year when I went to Poki Bowl in January and instantly fell in love. In my hometown there are several locations that sell poke but sadly I have only been to three. The restaurants I have tried are Poki Bowl, Poke One, and Sunfish Poke Bar. Out of all three, I couldn’t possibly choose a favorite as they are all delicious and I always order the same thing regardless of which place I go to. When going to a poke restaurant, you first start by choosing between a regular or large bowl, then the base which can be sushi rice, brown rice, salad, or half & half. Next comes the protein which is normally 3 scoops for a regular and 4 scoops for a large, you can pick between tuna, salmon, shrimp, octopus, spicy tuna, and yellow tail. Lastly there is different sauces and a variety of toppings you can add to complete your poke bowl. My go to order is a regular bowl with sushi rice, spicy tuna, shrimp, and octopus. I add crab meat (which counts as a topping), cucumbers, avocado, corn, and spicy mayo. Lastly, I top it off with seaweed seasoning and voila- perfection! If you like sushi or have been wondering what is poke, definitely try it. You won’t be disappointed!