Tako, Octopus, Pulpo, Krake, He’e, in any language, it’s wonderful.

As a young person, I would go spear-fishing often and I sought out those shy creators. I’m not very good at cooking this cephalopod, so now, here in the middle of the desert, I find it already cooked. We have an Asian Market about a 45 minute drive from us and they carry all kinds of goodies that DH and I look for, like Tako. The Asian influence is very strong in Hawaii, so is fishing; there are many dishes that start with Octopus.

Poke, pronounced POO-KAY, is a salad or appetizer made of your choice of seafood, with or with any vegetables. You can use raw or cooked products. There are as many Poke recipes as there are people in kitchens. I’ve read some cookbooks that have any number of ingredients, but in my book, the simpler the better.

Tako Poke

1/4 lb. cooked Octopus, chopped or sliced thin

1/2 of a large Sweet White Onion, rough chopped

2-3 Green Onions, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Sesame Oil

1/8 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 tsp. toasted Sesame Seeds

In a large bowl, add all of the above ingredients and mix well.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow the flavors to marry.

Try this at your next potluck or cocktail party. Don’t tell anyone what it is, other than it’s a Hawaiian dish that you found. I did this recently at a friend’s home. I wasn’t sure if I should do that, but DH said that if no one ate it, that’s okay, he would.

Here’s how I look at a new recipe that I want to try, I make a smaller portion of it. That way if we don’t care for it, no harm, no foul.

Vera Cruz-Style Fish Our Way

In Hawaii, we ate a lot of fresh fish, in all kinds of ways, even raw!

Over here, in the middle of the desert, we’re a little leery of the fresh fish. When I found our nearest supermarket after moving, I had to turn around and walk right out. The smell was over whelming.

It’s a good thing that I can find frozen fillets just about anywhere, I feel safe using that. One problem though, it can be a touch watery and/or have mushy flesh. Not appealing when done on the grill, or for making Poke (a type of raw fish salad).

I was poking around the Internet and I kept reading about Snapper Vera Cruz. I’d never heard of it, but it sounded good. It has all the stuff in it that we like, especially OLIVES. Both my husband and I just can’t seem to get enough of them. I adapted this recipe from the Bon Appétit website. This is an easy-peasy one pan (and clean up) dish, I like that!

*This recipe will serve two very hunger adults

Vera Cruz –Style Fish Our Way

1 15oz can diced Tomatoes, drain and reserve the liquid

¼ C. Onion, finely minced

½ C. Carrots, chopped

½ C. Celery, chopped

½ C. Red Bell Pepper, chopped

¼ C. Green Chilies, chopped (Hatch are the best or Ortega)

½ C. Green Pimento stuffed Olives, halved

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried Oregano

1 large Bay Leaf

½ C. Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp. chopped Cilantro

1 lb. Fish of your choice (Mahi Mahi, Snapper, Cod), cut into large bite sized pieces

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pan over medium heat, add about 1-2 tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Sauté the onion, carrot, celery and red bell pepper until crisp-tender.

Add the oregano and garlic, stirring until you can just smell it.

Next goes in the tomatoes, bay leaf, broth, cilantro and half of the reserved juice; give it a good swirl.

Simmer for about 3 minutes; taste the sauce for S&P.

Nestle in the olives and fish, gently simmer uncovered, until the fish is half done. If the sauce has evaporated too much, add the rest of the reserved tomato liquid. Once the fish is completely cooked, serve over rice.

Some other options that you could add into the sauce: capers, raisins, parsley, pickled jalapenos. I’ve never tried this recipe with Salmon; I’m not too sure it would work.

Remember that a recipe is just a guide, make it your own.