Watermelon and Ahi Tuna Poke
4-6
PortionsThe Hawaiian raw tuna salad known as poke has taken the mainland by storm. Chef Rebecca Peizer from The Culinary Institute of America shows us a delicious take on the dish using watermelon. She combines compressed cubes of yellow watermelon with classic poke ingredients, and serves the salad inside a hollowed out watermelon cup.
Ingredients
- PICKLED MUSTARD SEEDS
1/4 cup Yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup Rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Mirin
2 Tbsp Sugar
SRIRACHA AIOLI1 Tbsp Sriracha
½ cup Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
FRIED SHALLOTS1 cup Shallots, thinly sliced
2 cups Vegetable oil
POKE4 pieces Yellow watermelon, cut into 4 x 4-inch square, about 1-inch thick
1 lb Ahi tuna, cut ½-inch dice
2 sheets Nori seaweed, julienne
1/3 cup Soy sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
2 ea Green onions, thinly sliced on bias
1 ea Garlic clove, thinly sliced on mandolin
1 tsp Ginger, minced
½ cup Macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped
1 Tsp Black sesame seeds
1 ea Mini watermelon
Directions
- FOR THE PICKLED MUSTARD SEEDS
- Combine all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer on low for 35-45 minutes until thickened. Cool.
- FOR THE SHALLOTS
- Heat a small sauce pot with the oil and shallots to 325 degrees, stirring constantly to ensure even browning. Drain the shallots on paper towels when lightly browned. They will continue to cook and dry out as they drain.
- Compress watermelon in a vacuum sealer at 99%. Do this twice. Cut watermelon into ½-inch diced cubes.
- FOR THE POKE
- Combine the cubed compressed watermelon with all of the poke ingredients.
- TO CREATE WATERMELON “BOWL” AND GARNISH
- Peel a mini watermelon taking care to remove skin in long strips. Select the three best strips, and trim them so that they run the length of the serving plate. Set aside.
- To create the watermelon serving bowl, scrub the peeled watermelon with a coarse sponge until a smooth, even surface is achieved. Cut the watermelon in half, then quarters. Remove the flesh and set aside. Scrape out any remaining watermelon to create four smooth clean serving bowls.
- Slice the mini watermelon flesh and set aside.
- TO PLATE THE POKE
- Set the strips of watermelon skin on the serving plate, striped side up. Place one of the hollowed out watermelon bowls on top of the watermelon strips, and fill with poke mixture. Garnish the poke with sriracha aioli and fried shallots. Dot the plate with sriracha aioli. Place additional cubes of compressed yellow watermelon around the plate and top each cube with pickled mustard seeds. Plate with the remaining slices of mini watermelon.
