Gỏi Cá Hawaii - Poke

I love eating raw fish and it's just natural for me to be a poke fanatic!  Poke is everywhere nowadays and there are so many take on it.  Honestly I like it very simple because I don't want to mask the wonderful fish with too many ingredients.  I've been blessed to learn how to make poke from real Hawaiians and with many trial and error I have come up with a recipe that I love.

Some people are afraid to make poke at home because you are dealing with raw fish.  But that's what poke is so you just have to get over it.  When it comes to raw fish, there are different grade.  I have used all different grade of fish; from chain grocery stores to sashimi grade from Japanese market and  I have never gotten sick. You will taste a difference in quality and of course there will be a difference in prices.  I personally like to use Costco's fish especially during their seafood road show.  Or ask your seafood person at your favorite grocery store when they get their fresh fish every week.  If you feel uneasy about working with raw fish, you can buy sashimi grade fish from most specialty stores.

If you are novice to poke, I think salmon would be a good fish to start with.  Fishes such as tuna or trout has a stronger smell when raw.   Salmon is more mild and clean tasting in my opinion.  I personally love eating salmon poke because when you can get a fatty cut, oh it melts like butter!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs choice of fish (salmon, tuna)
2 teaspoon of minced garlic
1/4 cup of diced sweet onions
1/4 cup of minced green onions
1 tablespoon of minced serrano pepper
2 tablespoon of Kikoman brand soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
crushed thai chili to your liking
roasted sesame seed

1.  Clean fish and then pat dry.  Cut into 1/2 inch cube.
2.  I like to marinate the fish with soy sauce and salt first so this will soak into the fish first.  Mix gently avoid bruising the fish.

3.  Add the sweet onions, serrano pepper, green onions, garlic, crushed Thai chili, and sesame oil.  Again mix gently and thoroughly.  Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Transfer to plate and top off with roasted sesame seed.
5.  Enjoy!

Xà Lách Trộn Thịt Bò - Vietnamese Beef Toss Salad

Xà Lách Trộn Thịt Bò is my kind of salad, it's a healthy option but still incredibly flavorful!  Sometimes you feel so overwhelmed by food but you still want something tasty to eat, this is usually what I turn to.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of thinly sliced beef

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 tablespoon of minced shallots

2 tablespoon of fish sauce ( red boat brand is paleo friendly)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper

juice of one lime

1/2 sweet onion sliced

2 head of lettuce of choice 

3-4 boiled eggs

3-4 tomatoes sliced

cooking oil

1.  Marinate the sliced beef with 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1/2 tablespoon spoon sugar, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of minced shallot, and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.  

2.  Wash and drain all veggies dry (lettuce, tomatoes, onions).  Boil eggs and cut into quarters.

Thinly sliced the onions and soak in cold water (this helps reduce the onion flavor).

3.  Combine juice of one lime, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and teaspoon of ground pepper.

4.  Heat up a pan with 2 tablespoon of cooking oil.  Add marinated beef and sauteed.  

5.  In a mixing bowl add the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and dressing from step #3.  Toss everything together.   Transfer to a plate and then pile the sauteed beef and eggs on top.

6.  Enjoy with rice!