Poke

Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish that is made with small pieces of fresh and raw fish or seafood, which are combined with finely chopped vegetables, herbs, condiments, and seasonings. Although traditional poke uses either ahi tuna (yellowfin tuna) or octopus, the variations on this dish are endless these days, including poke with salmon, mussels, crabmeat, or oysters, as well as vegetarian versions with diced avocados.

Typical ingredients apart from the raw fish or seafood include sweet onions, garlic, shallots, scallions, sesame seeds, seaweeds, candlenuts, limu (brown algae), soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and Hawaiian sea salt.

The creation of poke has been attributed to local fishermen who used to combine freshly-caught small reef fish with few seasonings such as sea salt, candlenuts, limu, and seaweed for a filling snack. Poke is typically consumed on its own as an appetizer or with steamed white rice for a full meal.

In Hawaii, it is available in most supermarkets and is a common dish prepared for special occasions.

Hawaii, United States of America

Serve with

Side Dish

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WHERE TO EAT The best Poke in the world (according to food experts)

Lonely Planet and 14 other food critics.

"The point is, poke is wonderful, and Da Poke Shack is the spot to get it."

Frommer's and 14 other food critics.

"This little seafood counter serves some of Honolulu’s freshest and best poke—cubes of ruby-red ahi (tuna) seasoned to order with soy sauce and onions for the shoyu poke or limu (seaweed) and Hawaiian salt for Hawaiian-style poke."

Meghan Miner and 10 other food critics.

"It’s no secret that Umekes’ poke is incredibly fresh. But the most popular poke? A creamy avocado concoction. You’ll want to order a bowl here—umeke means bowl, after all—which comes with two rice scoops and a choice of side."

Lonely Planet and 8 other food critics.

"But if you like poke don't miss the the Superette’s iconic bowls, in fact, it's the only real offering on the menu here. Try the limu poke, with its refreshing and satisfying crunch of seaweed; shoyu poke, with a soy-infused flavor that perfectly complements and saturates the rice; or tako poke, perfectly textured octopus with a surprisingly clean and just-right taste."

Lonely Planet and 8 other food critics.

"For a fantastic variety of freshly made poke (sold by the pound), Suisan is a must. Buy a bowl of takeout poke and rice and eat outside the shop or across the street at Lili‘uokalani Park. Could life be any better?"

Lonely Planet and 8 other food critics.

"It serves outstanding poke in all kinds of flavors (spicy kimchi is the hands-down winner)."

Lonely Planet and 6 other food critics.

"Get there early before the best poke runs out."

Zach Honig and 5 other food critics.

"Instead of room service, I very highly recommend walking two blocks to Maguro Brothers and trying their fantastic poke."

Robb Report and 5 other food critics.

"This is the OG-style poke spot. This is the way I like to have poke, and the way a lot of locals relate to it. It’s never frozen fish, it’s line-caught by them or their friends, they only do small amounts, and it’s very simple. Now everyone is doing spicy tuna or mayonnaise, but they do something as simple as sea salt with seaweed or simply just soy sauce. It’s old school."

Martha Cheng and 4 other food critics.

"It's worth the search. You'll find a half dozen varieties of impeccably fresh poke displayed in the refrigerated case, from one seasoned simply with inamona and chili to the Lunatic, a slightly sweet, garlicky hot sauce paired with cool fish."