Category Archives: Appetizers

Tuna Poke

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Remember when you used to poke people on Facebook? That seems kind of strange now. Maybe 10 years from now, people will look back on Instagram or Snapchat and be all “What?!??!”.

Anyhoo, this isn’t a blog post about the Facebook type of poke. Nope, it’s poke as in pokē the Hawaiian verb for “section” or “to slice or cut” or “to cube”. Think of bright red jewel-like cubes of raw tuna in a subtle marinade of soy and sesame oil with just a hint of crunchy onion. Mmm, are you hungry now??!? And I should mention, it’s pronounced poh-kay (to rhyme with okay).Ahi tuna poke - sushi grade tuna in a light marinade of soy, sesame oil with scallions by MainelyEating.comLegend has it that Hawaiian fishermen would take the off-cuts of their daily catch, cube them, add a little seasoning and enjoy as a snack (what a job perk – tuna on demand!). Poke seasonings are heavily influenced by Japan (hence the soy and sesame) as well as the local Maui onions. Poke can be made with tuna, salmon and even cured octopus.

Right now, poke is THE food to eat and here are some reasons why. Just a few weeks ago I was in Ohio (of all places), checking out the best places to eat on yelp and I enjoyed the most unexpectedly-delicious bowl of tuna poke by Hai Poke at a pop-up location in the Short North area.

I’ve written before about the wonders of being able to buy sushi-grade tuna from Browne Trading Company and when I stopped by this weekend and saw the beautiful red tuna loin in the seafood counter, I figured I’d try making a poke-inspired dish at home.

Assuming you can get your hands on top quality fish, it couldn’t be easier! Mix up a marinade of soy sauce and sesame oil (Ponzu is my secret weapon for a non-authentic but delicious citrus twist), add the cubed tuna, a handful of scallions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds and you’re done! Add jalapeno, chili flakes or a little sriracha if you’re feeling spicy.

To make your poke into a more substantial lunch or dinner, make a poke bowl which strays into chirashi territory (chirashi means scattered in Japanese and so a chirashi bowl is basically a bowl of scattered/decontructed sushi).
Ahi tuna poke bowl with brown sprouted rice, seaweed salad, edamame and radish by MainelyEating.com

I started with brown sprouted rice which I left to cool to room temperature while I prepared the poke (instructions below) 

Tuna Poke

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients:
1lb of sushi grade tuna (allows for 1/2lb per person for a substantial lunch)
2 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
2 tbsp ponzu
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds (a mix of black and regular makes for prettier poke!)
4 scallions (sliced) or 1/4 Maui onion (diced)
Optional: red chili flakes if you like it spicy

Directions:
1. Combine soy sauce, ponzu, sesame oil, sesame seeds, scallions or onion to make marinade.
2. With a super sharp knife, slice tuna into cubes. Discard any sinewy pieces.
3. Place diced tuna into a bowl. Gradually add marinade, you want the tuna to be glistening vs. drowning. Store in refrigerator (covered) for up to 12 hours.

Enjoy! And/or use the poke to top a bowl of your favorite rice and vegetables like seaweed salad, avocado cubes, cucumber cubes, radish, edamame etc

I had a little poke left over so thought I’d try out poke appetizer spoons (read about other tuna appetizers including tuna tartare cones and spoons here), these would be good for a health concious gathering. Make up the poke according to the above recipe and then fill each spoon with a little brown rice, a cube of tuna poke and top with a scallion slice or edamame bean (because I like edamame more than scallion!). Look for shoyu soy sauce without gluten if you have a gluten-free diet.

Ahi tuna poke appetizer spoons with brown sprouted rice and edamame by MainelyEating.com

How To Cook Fiddleheads

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Fiddleheads! They’re everywhere right now! At the farmer’s market, on farmstands and even in grocery stores. The arrival of fiddleheads signals that summer is almost here in Maine and soon…so soon…it’ll be warm enough to swim in the lake. My swimsuit is on high alert…

Fresh fiddleheads cooked in a lemon butter draped with prosciutto by MainelyEating.com

I remember our very first summer in Maine and coming across these somewhat freaky looking green things at the farm stand and having no idea how to cook them. If you’re a fiddlehead first timer, here’s what you need to know:

Fiddleheads are the furled (not yet opened) fronds of a young fern, specifically the Ostrich fern (a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as iron and fibre) vs. Bracken (carcinogenic and toxic if not fully cooked!).

Back in the 1990s, raw or lightly cooked fiddleheads were implicated in a food-bourne illness outbreak and so it’s important to prepare and cook them safely.

How to cook fiddleheads:
1. Remove any residual brown papery husk
2. Wash in several changes of cold water
3. Discard any unfurled or discolored fiddleheads, they should be tightly curled and bright green
4. The official guidelines say to boil them for 15 minutes. I’m not a fan of mushy fiddleheads so I usually boil them for ~8 minutes but you should use your own judgement here in terms of risk vs. taste.

Fiddleheads have a similar texture to asparagus but without the funky asparagus taste. My favorite way to enjoy fiddleheads is to boil them and then lightly saute in a little butter with a very generous squeeze of lemon juice and pair with salty prosciutto.

Fiddleheads in Lemon Butter with Prosciutto

  • Servings: 2 people as a side or light lunch
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:
1/2lb of fiddleheads
1 tbsp butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
6 wafer thin slices of prosciutto (~2-3oz)
Sea salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Remove any brown paper husk from the fiddleheads and discard any discoloured or unfurled ferns
2. Place a pan of water on to boil. Wash the fiddleheads with multiple rinses of cold running water
3. Add the fiddleheads to the boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes (according to health authorities) or for less time at your own risk (I usually boil for ~8 minutes but I’m not advocating this risky behaviour). The water will turn a weird brown color. I like to rinse the fiddleheads with fresh boiled water from the kettle.
4. Drain the fiddleheads in a colander. Rinse out the pan and return it to a medium heat. Add the butter, the drained fiddleheads, the lemon juice and lightly toss. Add a few good grinds of black pepper and a few pinches of sea salt (preferably Malden).
5. Place the fiddleheads on a warmed plate and drape a few slices of prosciutto alongside. Add an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Have you ever cooked or eaten fiddleheads? What did you think? I’m also super excited to see ramps at the market and plan on pickling them to last through the summer! Fiddleheads cooked in a lemon butter with prosciutto by MainelyEating.com

Riffs on avocado toast

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Avocado toast with different topping ideasWhat can possibly be written about avocado toast that hasn’t already been written elsewhere? Along with smoothie bowls, poke, cupcakes and pizza, it’s one of the most popular foods on Instagram. Avocado toast also been named the most annoying food in Instagram 😉

At it’s most basic, you just mash or slice half an avocado onto a slice of toast. Boom. To prevent the avocado browning too quickly and to brighten up the flavor I like to squeeze in the juice of half a lime, Maldon sea salt, pepper and a tiny splash of good olive oil. Maybe some red pepper flakes if I’m feeling spicy.

basic avocado toast

  • Servings: 1 piece of toast
  • Difficulty: ridiculously easy
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Ingredients:
Your choice of toasted bread
1/2 ripe avocado
1 lime
1 tsp good olive oil
Salt (preferably Maldon sea salt) & Pepper (preferably fresh ground black pepper)

Directions:
1. Scoop the avocado flesh out of the skin (remove the pit)
2. Squeeze in as much or as little lime juice as you like, I like mine fairly citrusy so I usually use the juice of half a lime
3. Add the olive oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper
4. Mash the avocado with a fork – as smooth or as chunky as you like
5. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed
6. Spread on hot toast (or bread or crackers)
7. Add additional toppings – see topping ideas below

Different ideas for avocado toast toppings
If you’re an avocado toast aficionado, here are a few topping suggestions to take your toast to the next level. And of course, you can easily combine toppings – red onion, tomato and cayenne and you’re almost at guacamole toast!

Avocado toast topping ideas (from left to right by row):
1. Slices of red fresno chili
2. Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
3. Sliver of jalapeno
4. Diced red onion
5. Sweet cherry tomato
6. Maldon sea salt and pink peppercorns
7. Drops of sriracha
8. Extra lime juice
9. Crunchy red radish

Did I mention avocado is good for you? Half an avocado contains around 150 calories but most of that is made up of heart-healthy, cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat.

And….because it’s Cinco de Mayo tomorrow and maybe you’ll have a few avocados laying around after making your toast, here’s a bonus recipe – my favorite chunky guacamole recipe:Chunky fresh guacamole with hot chile

Think of this as a loose starting point. If you’re a huge onion fan, add more! If you can’t stand cilantro (me!), then skip it. If you like a mild guacamole, skip the fresh chile or maybe just add a little mild anaheim chile. If you like it hot then graduate to a jalapeno or even habanero. Check out the range of heat in various chiles here.

Quick and Chunky Guacamole

  • Servings: 4 as a snack
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:
2 perfectly ripe avocados
2 limes (ideally at room temperature for more juice)
1-2 garlic cloves – crushed in garlic press or finely sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely diced red onion
1 tomato diced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Your choice of fresh chile – anaheim, serrano, jalapeno, habanero
Small bunch of cilantro (if you like it) – washed and finely chopped

If you want a more authentic approach then you’d want to get your hands on a molcajete (a large pestle and mortar made of volcanic rock) to grind your garlic, salt and onion into a paste, but this is the quick and easy version so…

Directions:
1. With the palm of your hands, roll the limes back and forth on the counter a few times, this will give you more juice. Cut the limes in half and squeeze all the juice into a bowl.
2. Cut the avocado in half lengthways, remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado flesh and add it to the lime juice. You’ll have giant chunks of avocado at this point. Toss in the lime juice to prevent browning.
3. Add the minced garlic, diced tomato, red onion, cayenne pepper, salt, and cilantro (reserve a little cilantro for garnish)
4. Finely chop the fresh chile if using. Use gloves if you have them or even a fork to hold your chile while you chop it (if you have chile oils on your fingers and then touch your eyes or mouth you will be in pain!), remove the seeds (unless you REALLY like heat) and add to bowl.
5. Toss ingredients and then use a sharp knife to loosely chop the avocado while in the mix, I like fairly big chunks, if you want a smoother guacamole you can use a fork to mash.
6. Taste the guacamole and adjust to your taste – more salt? more cayenne? Transfer into serving dish and sprinkle with extra cilantro.

Serve with warm corn tortilla chips. Ideally you’ll want to eat the guacamole immediately. If you need to eat it a little later you can cover the surface tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Note that the heat from the chile will intensify the longer you leave it. You can also save one of the avocado pits and add it to the guacamole to (allegedly) reduce browning, remember to remove it before serving!

Quick and easy chunky guacamole with warm corn tortilla chips

Perfect with a cold cerveza or margarita!