Tuna Salad with Avocado (Palau Poke Salad)

This poke salad from Palau is made with locally grown ingredients as well as fresh ahi tuna from the pristine ocean that surrounds the islands. It could easily be made with any other fish that is super fresh and sashimi grade as it will be consumed raw. Other popular fish are wahoo, mahi-mahi, and yellowtail. Poke is pronounced Po-KAY not poke or PO-KEE, originated in the Hawaiian Islands. The fact that this is popular in Palau is not at all surprising as they are both tropical islands and Palau has many ties with the USA. Poke typically is served over rice, which is also delicious. If you don’t like raw fish, try it with some cooked shrimps or octopus.

1 lb Ahi Tuna Sashimi grade or any other fresh fish
2 baby cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into bite size pieces
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 shallot, cut into small pieces
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 avocado, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup pea sprouts
1 lime, freshly squeezed

Dressing:
6 Tbsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

In a jar with a lid mix together all the dressing ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl, add all the poke ingredients except for the lime which you can squeeze over the ingredients before you dress the salad. Mix all together.

Shake the jar of the dressing and pour over the salad. Gently mix so all the ingredients are well covered.

Makes 4 servings.