Fresh fish bowls
Poké is a tasty appetizer or a full meal packed with protein and a variety of vegetables, fruits
After our wedding in late June, my husband and I quickly departed for our honeymoon in Napa and Maui. One of my favorite things about traveling is experiencing local cuisine. In Napa, it was all about wine. In Maui, it was all about poké. ♦ Poké (pronounced poh-kay) means “to cut or slice crosswise.” It’s served as a raw fish salad. You may even hear people talk about it as deconstructed sushi.
Our first poké experience was at a restaurant called Koa in Lahaina. It was served as an appetizer in a stack with avocado and homemade wonton crisps for dipping. Once we discovered this amazing “new” dish (as in, new to us), we started asking a few locals where their favorite place was to get poké. Both the gentleman at the condo’s concierge and the owner of the yoga studio told me the same thing — Foodland, the local grocery store (reminiscent of a Piggly Wiggly). I thought this must be a joke. I assumed they would name a hip restaurant or at least a fun dive bar. Nope. They were praising the place that we stopped in for groceries our first day in Maui.
After a few days, we finally decided to try it. Located in the back of the grocery store in the deli was the best poké in all of Maui, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was blissful.
There were around 10 varieties to choose from, including spicy tuna, California roll and wasabi (my favorite). They also served fresh, hot rice so you could make your own poké bowl. In fact, this was also our last meal before heading back to the mainland. We had a few hours to kill before our flight, so we enjoyed poké on Kapalua beach while watching people windsurf.
After recovering from jetlag, I started researching where I could get poké here and I discovered FreshFin Poké right on the east side of
Milwaukee (which has been open since January). It’s an upscale, fast-casual concept that offers a twist on traditional poké.
“Traditional poké is the fish (ahi tuna), some shaved onion, green onion, classic sauce or Hawaiian sea salt that’s served more like an appetizer. It’s very simple,” said Nate Arkush, managing partner of FreshFin Poké. “Here, we extend the limits of poké and make it more of a meal. We go off the map a little bit.”
That means serving poké on top of a bed of mixed greens or rice, adding new vegetables like daikon radish or stirring in sriracha aioli sauce (FreshFin makes seven unique sauces every day in-house).
The protein also runs the gamut. Although ahi tuna is the traditional fish for poké, you’ll also find salmon, shrimp, chicken and vegan bowls at FreshFin. “Offering these opens us up to a larger demographic being in Milwaukee,” Arkush said. “It offers more diversity even though it’s not as traditional. Our menu is more a fusion of poké.”
Both the ahi tuna and salmon are served raw; the shrimp and chicken are cooked. When serving raw fish, quality is paramount. “If you’re going to make this at home, find the highest quality fish you can from stores like St. Paul Fish Company or Empire Fish,” Arkush said. You also want to eat your poké the same day you buy it for the best possible flavor and quality.
For ingredients found in less traditional poké recipes, you’ll need to shop a specialty Asian market such as Pacific Produce in Milwaukee or Oak Creek.
You won’t find Japanese mayonnaise, Hawaiian sea salt, black sesame seeds or Togarashi Shichimi (a Japanese seasoning mix) in your average grocery store. Other ingredients, like ginger, green onions and sriracha are available almost anywhere.
In addition, you’ll find ingredients like edamame and avocado that turn poké from an appetizer into a meal that will fill you up and have you experiencing something fun and new.