Tuna Poke, Seaweed Salad, Fried Wonton Strips


Whenever I find an easy to make, beautifully presented, tasty appetizer, I put it in the vault.  This 5 minute app is always a crowd pleaser.  We first had this at least a decade ago, and I can't even remember which restaurant it was.  But I remember the flavors, the textures and the beautiful presentation.  Lately, I've found myself turning away from yellowfin tuna, in favor of other, less likely sashimi.  But for this poke, it is the best choice.  Toss cubed tuna in a bit of lite soy, sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, finely sliced scallion and black and white sesame seeds.  I purchased a seaweed salad from Uwayjimaya, our local Japanese/Asian market.  It is called Hiyashi Wakame Chuka Salad.  To assemble your plate, use a cylindrical ring on top of a dish and press the seaweed salad into the bottom.  Then top with the tuna.  Put the filled cylinder back into the fridge for a bit to set so it will hold its shape when you remove the cylinder, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, fry up some wonton strips.  To serve, remove the cylinder and top with the fried wontons.  Fresh, flavorful and simple. 

6/1/14
An update to the original post adding a few measurements to to the recipe.  For approximately one pound of tuna, mix with:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 green onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
freshly ground black pepper
Adjust seasonings to your liking before mixing with tuna. Mix the tuna in and let sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so.
When filling the ring, scoop the tuna out leaving any extra sauce behind.  If you add all the sauce, it will leak out onto your plate from the ring.   

I served these recently with fried gyoza wrappers.  Won ton wrappers work as well.  Use a cylinder cutter, about 2 1/2" in diameter, to cut the shells into rounds.  Fry them, a few at a time, in 350f canola oil.  

For the wonton strips, cut them into 1/2" strips.  Fry until crispy in same manner as the wrappers.

Comments

  1. Been dreaming of this appetizer since I was lucky enough to be served it by Master Chef Mary. The perfect pre-dinner snack - light,SO tasty, and seemingly simple. Even the kids loved it. Plan to try to make it this weekend!

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  2. This is a wonderful blog!! Looks like you may have tried the poke at Flying Fish (Belltown). I cooked there during the early 2000's and this is how we served it. We used a dash if wasabi tobiko in the tuna marinade (also available at Uwajimaya)

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  3. Thank you for the comment! Yes, you're probably correct... Flying Fish was a favorite spot when we were living down in the Pike Place Market.

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