James says: “Here is the granddaddy of all the poke recipes. It is our standard ‘ahi poke recipe and what we serve day in, day out at Island Poké. The secret to its success is the sashimi-grade ‘ahi that we allow to stand on its own, without being overwhelmed with too many other flavours. If you cannot source sashimi-grade ‘ahi, ask your fishmonger to advise you on whether their freshest tuna can be eaten raw.”

Serves 4 as a main 

Ingredients

• 250g sushi rice
• 500g sashimi-grade ‘ahi or yellowfin tuna
• 2 tbsp shoyu
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated

Optional toppings: 

• 2 tbsp pickled ginger
• 2 red chillies, sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 avocado, peeled, stoned and sliced
• 1 tbsp edamame
• 2 tbsp tobiko (fish roe)
• 2 tbsp wakame seaweed
• 1 tbsp macadamia nuts
• 2 tbsp crispy shallots
• Pineapple-red chilli salsa
• Dash of sriracha sauce
• Mixed sesame seeds, for sprinkling
• Edible flowers, to garnish

Method

Make up a batch of sushi rice.

Cube or dice ‘ahi or tuna into smallish pieces. Place in a bowl with the shoyu, sesame oil, spring onions and ginger and gently mix together. Leave for at least 15 minutes for the flavours to combine.

Place the rice in a poke serving bowl, add the poke and garnish with any of the toppings. Add one of the following sauces: sriracha mayo (see below), wasabi crema (see below), or straight sriracha sauce.

Sriracha mayo 

Mix together 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce, 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons thick yogurt and the freshly squeezed juice of one lime.

Wasabi crema 

Stir together 125g sour cream, 3 tablespoons crème fraîche, 2 teaspoons wasabi paste, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and the freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon. Leave for at least an hour to allow the flavours to develop.

Spicy ‘ahi variation

Heat up a cast iron pan and char two jalapeños and two red chillies until just blistered on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, toast 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, then run a knife across them before crushing in a mortar. De-stem and finely dice the charred chillies.

Make up a standard ‘ahi tuna poke (see above) and combine with above ingredients. 

James says: “When I started street-food trading I only sold two pokes – ‘ahi tuna and salmon. I bought the best salmon at Billingsgate, but created this citrus-based sauce that really sets this poke apart. Use a combination of orange and lime, if you can’t source yuzu.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 250g sushi rice
• 1 tsp yuzu
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 500g very fresh salmon
• 3 spring onions
• Yuzu-mango salsa, to serve

Optional toppings: 

• 2 tbsp edamame
• 1 tsp furikake seasoning
• 1 tbsp shredded seaweed
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp pickled ginger
• Edible flowers, to garnish

Method

Prepare a batch of sushi rice.

Make up the marinade by mixing up the yuzu, mirin and light soy. Cube the salmon and put into a bowl with enough marinade to just provide a glistening surface for the salmon. Add some very finely sliced spring onions.

Make the poke by spooning some rice into bowls, add some of the salmon, then finish by topping with the edamame beans, furikake, seaweed, black sesame seeds and pickled ginger.

To serve, add some yuzu-mango salsa directly on top. 

Yuzu-mango salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and stoned
• 3 spring onions
• 2 small red chillies
• 2 tbsp yuzu juice
• 4 tbsp apple juice

Method

Cut half into small dice, and put the other half into a blender with the spring onions, chillies, and yuzu and apple juices. Blitz until fairly smooth. Mix together with the diced mango.

James says: “After a stint working with a great Japanese chef in his restaurant, a number of inspirations came to mind, including this poke take on a Japanese favourite, Nasu Dengaku. There are many crossovers between Hawaiian and Japanese cooking styles and culture. Although this recipe and its ingredients are less Hawaiian than Japanese, the unexpected result justifies itself and pays homage to the fusion of Japanese and Hawaiian cooking.”

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 250g sushi rice
• 900g aubergines
• 4 shallots
• 125g demerara sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1½ teaspoons crushed green peppercorns
• 75ml soy sauce 
• Small handful of kale, chopped 
• Small handful of coriander, chopped

For the sour carrot salad:

• 3 spring onions
• 200g finely grated carrots
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp boiling water
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 large lime
• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Method

First make the carrot salad. Finely slice the spring onions diagonally into long strands. Mix the grated carrots and spring onions in a bowl. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the boiling water. Stir in the lime juice and vinegar and add this dressing to the carrot and onion mix. Set aside.

Prepare the sushi rice.

Cut the aubergines into 2.5cm/1 inch cubes. Finely slice the shallots. Have them both at hand when you are making the caramel as you will have to act quickly.

Place the sugar in a large wok set over a high heat. Swirl the wok to help melt the sugar. The sugar will have a lovely amber tone. After about five minutes it will start to caramelize at the edges and you will notice a caramel smell. Swirl the wok once more to distribute the caramel evenly, then add the aubergines and shallots. Toss until the chunks are well coated, then cook for 2 minutes. Lower the heat, add the garlic and green peppercorns and cook for two minutes. Add the soy sauce and simmer, loosely covered with foil, for seven minutes or until the sauce reduces to a thick consistency.

To serve, divide the carrot salad, aubergine mixture, kale and rice between four bowls. Scatter over the coriander.

Tip

To make this more Japanese, add a teaspoon of white miso paste before you add the soy sauce.

The Island Poké Cookbook by James Gould-Porter (£18.99, Ryland Peters & Small) is out now