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.