This is the choice that names the poke. Salt is the oldest seasoning, and it’s all the fish strictly needs. The Japanese and Chinese plantation workers who arrived from the mid-1800s brought soy sauce and sesame oil, and shoyuShoyuJapanese soy sauce, brewed from soybeans and wheat. and sesame oil is the most common poke today (Wikipedia). Spicy mayo came later.
The variables
- Salt. Hawaiian sea salt (pa’akaiPa'akaiHawaiian sea salt, coarse and mineral; ʻalaea salt is the red kind, coloured with volcanic clay., or the red ʻalaea salt) or any coarse sea salt. Salt draws out a little moisture and firms the surface of the fish.
- Shoyu to sesame oil. About 2 parts soy sauce to 1 part toasted sesame oil, by volume. A little rice vinegar and grated ginger brighten it.
2Shoyu
1Sesame oil
- Spicy mayo. About 3 parts Kewpie mayonnaiseKewpie mayonnaiseJapanese mayonnaise made with only egg yolks (not whole eggs) and rice or apple vinegar, instead of the whole eggs and distilled vinegar most Western mayo uses. to 1 part srirachaSrirachaA Thai-style hot sauce of red chili, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt, smooth and squeezable., with a few drops of lime juice or rice vinegar to cut the fat.
3Kewpie mayo
1Sriracha
- Time. 15 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge before serving. Soy and salt start to cure the fish; much longer and it firms up and darkens.
- Heat. Chopped fresh chili, chili flakes, or wasabi, to taste.
Options
| Option | Pick it when | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Salt, limuLimuHawaiian seaweed; in poke it’s most often ogo, a crisp, briny red seaweed, chopped., and inamonaInamonaRoasted kukui (candlenut), crushed with salt: the nutty seasoning in old-style Hawaiian poke. | You want the old, ocean-forward style | The lightest seasoning; the fish carries it |
| Shoyu and sesame oil (2:1) | Most of the time | Savoury and nutty; the fish counter standard |
| Spicy mayo (3:1) | You want it rich and hot | Creamy; coats the fish rather than seasoning it |
| Wasabi shoyu | You want it sharp | Wasabi stirred into the shoyu |
| Garlic shoyu | You want it bolder | Garlic oil in place of some sesame oil, with fresh chili |
Recipes
Bonito soy sauce can stand in for plain shoyu.