{recipe} Salmon Avocado Poke with Lime and Mint

As I’ve previously mentioned, one of my favorite things about Hawaii is the opportunity to eat raw fish three meals a day. Today was an unseasonally hot Sunday (for San Francisco, at least) so I knew I wanted a cool and refreshing dinner to end the weekend. The result was a salmon poke, with cubes of ripe avocado and raw wild salmon seasoned with lime, mint leaves, coriander. Because we’re in that brief green garlic season, I chopped some finely and added it to the mix–but if your summer nights fall past the springtime, feel free to substitute green onions.

I made a half ration of Ginger Sesame Ahi Poke too, and served the two side by side. (In that post, I also discuss facts and myths about “sushi-grade” fish, and how I select and buy fish to eat raw.) It couldn’t be easier to toss everything in a bowl and let it mesh for 30 minutes. With a squeeze of fresh lime and a squirt of Sriracha, Hawaii was calling once again.

Salmon Avocado Poke with Lime and Mint

serves 3-4

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. salmon fillet, skin removed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup minced green garlic or green onion, white and light green parts only
  • 1/2 tsp grated ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 Tblsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tblsp sesame oil
  • 2 small or 1 large lime
  • 8-10 fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

Method:

  • Put salmon cubes, green garlic or green onion, grated ginger, coriander, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a non-metal bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
  • Zest the lime and add the zest to the bowl, stirring to mix. Reserve the zested lime.
  • Add the mint and avocado and gently mix together.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
  • Remove from fridge and squeeze reserved lime over salmon. Mix together. Serve immediately with Sriracha or other hot sauce on the side.

You may also like...

10 Responses

  1. OMG, I am drooling over your picture!!! I want to make it NOW (in fact, I will go to Whole Foods right now and buy the fish.) I think I will pair it with Arugula salad http://cuceesprouts.com/2011/05/blueberry-surprise-salad/, a recipe that I posted on my blog. And will serve it with toasted Pita bread. Yum!

  2. This looks divine! Somehow your comment on my page went to spam! I’m glad I dug it out so I could pay your blog a visit. I need this poke in my life right now!

  3. mjskit says:

    I’m with you on Hawaii and its poke! This recipe looks great. It contains many of my favorite ingredients. Will definitely be making it as soon as I can find some more wild salmon.

  4. Wasabi says:

    I see you are in SF. If you eat local salmon raw, make sure to freeze it for a couple days first, as the change in sea currents has brought more seals and the salmon-meat parasite anisakis simplex to the area, which use seals as an alternate host.

    Per the FDA:
    “Severe cases of anisakiasis are extremely painful and require surgical intervention. Physical removal of the nematode(s) from the lesion is the only known method of reducing the pain and eliminating the cause (other than waiting for the worms to die). The symptoms apparently persist after the worm dies since some lesions are found upon surgical removal that contain only nematode remnants. Stenosis (a narrowing and stiffening) of the pyloric sphincter was reported in a case in which exploratory laparotomy had revealed a worm that was not removed. The parasite can cause severe anaphylactic reactions in some people, with symptoms including erratic heartbeat and respiratory failure. These can, in some cases, be fatal.”

    In other words, they have to cut out a section of your stomach wall to get rid of it.

    “Three cases in the San Francisco Bay area involved ingestion of sushi or undercooked fish. The letter also points out that anasakiasis is easily misdiagnosed as acute appendicitis, Crohn’s disease, gastric ulcer , or gastrointestinal cancer.”

  5. Cortney says:

    I’ve made this recipe about 5 times already, and I absolutely love it. Thank you so much! I am from the SF Bay and I buy sashimi grade salmon from the San Leandro farmer’s market. In order for it to even be sashimi grade (eaten raw), the law requires that the fish be frozen for a certain amount of time to kill the bacteria in the fish. So just make sure that the fish is labeled sashimi grade, and you won’t have to worry about freezing it yourself. It should already be good to go.

  1. May 2, 2011

    […] New York Cat …Urgent actions needed to prevent recurring food crises | East Asia …off the (meat)hook » {recipe} Salmon Avocado Poke with Lime and MintHome Again | Weer'd WorldMomental Designs Hand Painted Save the Dates Giveaway! | […]