The Hawaiian cubed-fish dish: sashimi-grade ahi tossed with shoyu, sweet onion, sesame oil, limu seaweed and inamona kukui-nut salt. Eaten by the pound at counters and over two scoops of rice as a bowl.

Poke (Hawaiian for 'to cut crosswise') was pre-contact reef-fish scraps tossed with limu salt at the shoreline. The dish came onto the modern Hawaiian table when Foodland and Tamashiro Market in Kalihi began selling prepared shoyu-ahi poke from the 1970s. Maguro Brothers Hawaii in Chinatown's Kekaulike Market formalized the sashimi-grade fresh-from-the-Honolulu-Fish-Auction version in 2014. Foodland Farms Ala Moana now runs a 20-variation poke bar; Ono Seafood in Kapahulu sells the most-affordable two-scoop bowl in the city.

Where to eat Poke in Honolulu

4 editor picks for Poke in Honolulu, ranked by editorial score. All Honolulu signature dishes · Poke across every city.

  • Maguro Brothers Hawaii Chinatown

    Order Shoyu onion ahi over rice, plus the grilled garlic marlin if the case has it.

    Maguro Brothers Hawaii in Chinatown Honolulu is the Kekaulike Market poke counter that brothers Junichiro and Ryojiro Tsuchiya stock from the Honolulu Fish.

    DetailsDirections

  • Ono Seafood

    Order A two-scoop shoyu ahi and spicy ahi bowl with rice.

    Ono Seafood in Kapahulu Honolulu is the family-run poke counter that fishes shoyu ahi, spicy ahi and tako preparations from the refrigerated case.

    DetailsDirections

  • Off the Hook Poke Market

    Order Spicy ahi and limu ahi over rice, plus a side of furikake.

    Off the Hook Poke Market in Manoa Honolulu is the takeout-only poke counter at the foot of Manoa Valley that draws University of Hawaii students.

    DetailsDirections

  • Foodland Farms Ala Moana

    • ★ 4.4
    • Market
    • $

    Foodland Farms Ala Moana in Honolulu is the flagship of the local grocery chain that calls itself Hawaii's Home for Poke, with a 20-variety poke bar.

    DetailsDirections

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Make it at home

Serves 415 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 500g sashimi-grade yellowfin or bigeye ahi, cut in 1.5cm cubes
  • 60ml shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)
  • 30ml toasted sesame oil
  • 1 small sweet maui onion, finely diced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Hawaiian sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
  • 20g dried ogo (limu) seaweed, rehydrated and chopped
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon crushed inamona (roasted kukui nut), or use macadamia

Method

  1. In a non-reactive bowl combine shoyu, sesame oil, Hawaiian salt and inamona. Stir to dissolve the salt.
  2. Add the diced ahi and toss gently so every cube is coated. Do not overmix; the cubes should stay distinct.
  3. Fold in the sweet onion, green onion and rehydrated limu. Taste and adjust shoyu or salt.
  4. Cover and refrigerate 10 to 20 minutes for the flavours to settle. Do not marinate longer; the fish will start to cure.
  5. Finish with sesame seeds at the table. Serve over rice as a bowl, or by the half-pound on its own.

Editor tip. Sashimi-grade fish only. If your fishmonger sells it labelled for raw consumption, you are safe; if not, freeze 24 hours at -20C first.

Common allergens: Fish, Soy.