WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Hawaiian fishermen would save the trimmings from their daily catch to season and serve raw, with colorful vegetable toppings. Their humble working-class dish has now exploded onto the fast-casual dining scene. Avocado is a common addition to poke, so we wanted to highlight it by dialing the amount way up. Its richness is offset by the pungent ginger and mirin in the soy-sesame dressing. To pack more tuna flavor into every bite, we wrapped the tuna in kombu (the Japanese kelp used to make dashi broth) and cured it overnight—a simple Japanese technique called kobu-jime. This treatment drew out moisture from the fish, firming up the flesh, and gave it an umami boost. The success of this dish depends on using fresh, high-quality tuna. If you can’t find one large tuna steak, purchase two ½-inch-thick 6-ounce steaks. Hijiki seaweed is milder than kombu or wakame (the leafy green seaweed swimming in your miso soup) and adds an understated vegetal sea flavor without being briny. It can be purchased at well-stocked grocery stores or online. You can substitute wakame for hijiki; just be sure to roughly chop wakame after soaking in step 3.

Serves 4

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes (plus 18 hours refrigeration time)

INGREDIENTS

• 1¾ ounces dried kombu
• 1 (12-ounce) tuna steak, 1 inch thick
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ⅛ ounce dried hijiki
• ½ Vidalia or Walla Walla onion, chopped fine
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon mirin
• 1 teaspoon corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 avocados, halved, pitted, and cut in ¾-inch pieces
• ¼ cup salted dry-roasted macadamia nuts, chopped coarse
• 6 scallions, sliced thin on bias
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak kombu in container filled with 1 quart water until slightly softened and pliable, about 10 minutes. Drain kombu and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Slice tuna horizontally into two ½-inch-thick steaks and sprinkle evenly with salt. Lay half of kombu strips in single layer on counter to make a 7-inch square. Place 1 tuna steak in center of kombu square. Fold edges of kombu up around tuna and top with additional pieces of kombu as needed to completely encase. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining kombu and second tuna steak; transfer to plate. Refrigerate kombu-wrapped tuna steaks for at least 18 hours or up to 24 hours.
3. Soak hijiki in 1 quart water until softened and plumped, at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Place onion in 2 cups ice water and let sit for 30 minutes.
4. Whisk soy sauce, oil, mirin, corn syrup, and ginger together in large bowl. Unwrap tuna, discard kombu, and pat tuna dry with paper towels. Cut tuna into ½-inch pieces and transfer to bowl with dressing. Drain hijiki and onion in fine-mesh strainer, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Pat dry with paper towels and add to bowl with tuna. Add avocados and nuts and gently toss to combine.
5. Divide poke among individual serving bowls and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.