“My name is Annie. Food and I get along so well! Cooking and baking are more than a hobby for me – they’re a passion. I come from the beautiful island of Guam, U.S.A. The recipes you’ll find here are my creations, or those of my children, who are also budding foodies. I hope you like them. Drop me a comment or two to let me know how you like our island and other delicacies. Enjoy!”

– Army Lt. Col. (Ret.) Annette Merfalen

My family just loves seafood. One of our favorites is ahi tuna poke. One of our best memories of one of our vacations to Oahu, Hawaii is being able to find a variety of poke almost everywhere, even in grocery stores, and not just ahi tuna poke but poke made with smoked octopus, salmon, shrimp, and other seafood delights!

Here are four of our ahi tuna poke favorites. Clockwise from the top left: Shoyu Poke, Ogo Seaweed Poke, Kimchee Base Poke, Spicy Mayo Poke. Give them a try. I think you’ll like them.

All four recipes below have a few ingredients in common: ahi tuna, green onions, and either yellow, Maui, or any other sweet onion variety.

Cut the tuna steaks into 1/2-inch cubes. I find it easier to cut them while still partially frozen.

Now for the four variations – Shoyu, Ogo Seaweed, Spicy Mayo, and Kimchee Base.

1. Shoyu Poke Shoyu

Ingredients:

• ½ pound ahi tuna

• ¼ cup sliced green onions

• ¼ cup sliced yellow onions

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• Chili pepper flakes, to taste

Shoyu— or soy sauce — poke is probably the simplest to make. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili flakes in a small bowl.

Pour the Shoyu mixture over the ahi. Add green and yellow onions. Stir to combine.

2. Ogo Seaweed Poke

Ingredients:

• ½ pound ahi tuna

• ¼ cup sliced green onions

• ¼ cup sliced yellow onions

• 2 pinches dried ogo seaweed

• 1 teaspoon alea (Hawaiian) sea salt

• Chili pepper flakes, to taste

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons nori komi furikake

Ogo seaweed gets its name from — you guessed it — the Ogo seaweed that’s in it. Ogo seaweed poke is also pretty simple to make. It’s getting the ingredients that’s going to prove challenging, especially if you don’t have an international market nearby.

You’ll need dried ogo — a little goes a long way. I used maybe a couple of pinches of ogo for this recipe. I got a good supply of dried ogo on my last trip to Hawaii, but I have seen it sold in international markets. You can even order it from Amazon.

I also used Alaea (Hawaiian) sea salt in this recipe, but if you can’t find it, pink Himalayan sea salt will work in a pinch.

To make Ogo Seaweed Poke, add a couple of pinches of dried ogo, alea sea salt, sesame oil, Chili pepper flakes, green onions, and yellow onions to the bowl of ahi.

Stir to combine. Sprinkle nori komi furikake over the top.

3. Spicy Mayo Poke

Ingredients:

• ½ pound ahi tuna

• ¼ cup sliced green onions

• ¼ cup sliced yellow onions

• 2 tablespoons kewpie mayo

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon aji mirin

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon lime juice

• 1 tablespoon sriracha, more or less to taste

Spicy Mayo Poke is a popular one. The beauty of this version is you can make it as spicy (or not spicy at all) as you want. I usually make it not spicy, then add the spice (sriracha) to my own serving. This way pleases everyone in my family. One doesn’t like spicy foods, another likes it mild, I like it a little more than mild, and another likes it mouth-on-fire hot.

To make Spicy Mayo Poke, you’ll need kewpie mayo, soy sauce, aji mirin, garlic powder, lime juice, and sriracha.

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl, including sliced green and yellow onions

4. Kimchee Base Poke

Ingredients:

• ½ pound ahi tuna

• ¼ cup sliced green onions

• ¼ cup sliced yellow onions

• 1 tablespoon kimchee base

• 1 tablespoon aji mirin

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• ½ teaspoon rice vinegar

Kimchee Base is a unique ingredient for most, but it’s commonly sold in Asian or international markets. It’s usually used for — you guessed it — making kimchee, but I like to use it in many different recipes.

That’s it!

Four versions of ahi tuna poke, all delicious (trust me), and all super easy to make. Serve with hot steamed rice and enjoy!

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