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Sushi, Poke, Who Cares.....

I distinctly remember the first time I ate sushi. I was in San Francisco for the first time and up until then NEVER thought I would enjoy raw fish. After my first bite of raw tuna, I knew it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. My favorite version of sushi is any variation of spicy tuna. What is it about the amazing spicy heat that warms from within mixed with the mix of soy and sesame flavor? Intoxicating, I have come to  understand the term "umami". OK, I know, I am being dramatic, but it is GOOD.
Sushi remains to be an art that I would rather enjoy from the table instead of the kitchen. That being said, when I found out how easy it was to prepare the spicy tuna mayo mixture it was time to give it a whirl.
What is very important when preparing this, get fresh tuna. I would say the previously frozen is fine, but prepare and eat the same day if possible. However, this mayo is also really good with shrimp.
To make the spicy mayo, it is very simple. Mayo, Sriacha (but my favorite is the garlic chili sauce in the asian food aisle by the Sriacha), sesame oil (spend the extra for a high quality sesame oil and keep in the fridge it goes bad quickly) and a splash of soy sauce. Of course adjust the amounts based on how spicy you like it. So start small, and build. The reason I love the garlic chili sauce is it has more flavor and not just heat. Don't get me wrong, it is spicy so be careful.



When using tuna, I first briefly marinate the tuna steak in soy sauce, ginger, a little lemon and a little lime. It really only needs to be in the marinade for a very short time. The citrus will actually start cooking the fish and the texture will get mushy. So really 15-20 minutes max. I usually let it sit while I cut veggies. In a bowl, I dice cucumbers and green onions finely and then cube up the tuna. I then mix in the magic spicy mayo.
I love to serve this as a dip appetizer with fried won tons or serve it on a platter with the tuna mixture on top of won tons. I also call this a version of Hawaiian poke (po-keh). They have a bunch of versions of chopped up tuna mixed with different flavors. Enjoy tuna!

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