We’re back with Wine & Dine with Jeff to show you how to make a mouthwatering Ahi Tuna Poke Stack! Plus, did you know that Jeff puts out new videos on his YouTube channel every week? Yum!
Anytime I want to WOW my friends during a dinner party I make my Ahi Tuna Poke Stack. Not only is the presentation a knockout, but the flavors also hit every palette on the taste buds.
Many people have a fear of purchasing sushi-grade tuna, so I have a few tips. Ask your fishmonger for saku block tuna. In Japanese, the term saku means “block.” Saku is commonly served as maguro in sushi bars. Because of its uniformity, it is preferred by Japanese chefs for sashimi and other sliced presentations. Ideal for making ahi sushi or for pan searing, this premium yellowfin saku is boneless and skinless with blood line removed. Ahi tuna is Yellowfin tuna — Ahi is a common Hawaiian word used to describe 2 different types of tuna. All of the saku blocks I have purchased have been previously frozen to kill the parasites that live in raw fish.
Ingredients:
For the tuna layer:
– 8 Oz of Ahi Yellowfin Tuna, raw and sushi grade (must be able to eat the tuna raw) — I like the saku cut
– 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
– 1 Teaspoon of toasted sesame oil
– 1 Teaspoon of dark soy or sweet soy sauce
– (Optional) 1 Teaspoon of sambal chili oil for a little spice
– 1 Teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds
– 1 scallion, sliced (only green and light green parts)
– 1 Tablespoon of minced Maui onion
– 1 Tablespoon of crushed macadamia nuts
– Salt to taste
For the avocado layer:
– 2 Avocados, diced, plus salt to taste
– 1 Tablespoon of fresh lime juice
– 1 Fresno red pepper or red jalapeno seeds removed and diced
For the rest of the stack:
– 1 1/2 cups of cooked sticky rice (enough for 3 stacks)
– Ponzu sauce to drizzle at the bottom of each serving plate
Directions:
1. You want to cut the tuna into small 1/2 inch bite-size pieces. Cut against the grain of the tuna for tender pieces of tuna. I first slice against the grain, then stack the slices and cut vertically then horizontally into bite-size pieces.
2. In a bowl combine soy sauce, sweet soy, sambal chili oil, and toasted sesame oil. Whisk to combine all the ingredients — the sweet/dark soy sauce is thick like molasses, so you want that to thin out with the other sauces and not get clumped into one section of the tuna. Add your diced tuna and stir to coat all the tuna in the sauce.
3. Thinly shave the sweet Maui onion and then mince the shaved slices with a knife. Thinly slice the green parts only on the scallion. Place some macadamia nuts in a small snack plastic bag and smash the bag with a meat mallet to crush up the nuts — not into a powder, just small bite-size pieces. Add the toasted sesame seeds, macadamia nuts, Maui onion and scallion to the tuna and stir to combine all the ingredients together. This is the time to taste the tuna poke to see if it needs a little salt or not. Cover the tuna with plastic and place in the fridge for 2 hours for all the flavors to combine.
4. Remove the skin and seed from the 2 avocados. Dice them up into small bite-size pieces. You want to add the lime juice immediately to stop the oxidation so the avocados don’t turn brown. (Plus, the lime juice brings amazing flavors to the avocado!) Finely mince the Fresno red chili and remove the spicy seeds. Add salt to taste, then cover and set aside in the fridge. I would wait to do the avocado layer until you are ready to assemble the tuna stack to keep it fresh. Cook the rice if you haven’t already — I would use a sticky white rice so that the tuna stack holds its shape. Light and fluffy rice that separates is not the best for the tuna tower.
5. It is time to stack the tuna tower. I use a 3-inch round that is also 3 inches tall. First, spray the inside of the 3-inch round with a light cooking spray (like canola) so everything slides out easily. Add 1/2 cup of sticky cooked white rice that has cooled to the bottom of the round and pack it down with a small spatula. Then add the avocado mixture and press it down. Make sure to firmly press down on each layer. Then add the tuna poke layer and press down. While you are pressing down in the middle with a small spatula, wiggle the 3 inch round upward.
6. Remove the round and garnish with microgreens and edible flowers. Then pour ponzu sauce on the bottom of the plate just to cover the bottom. Serve and impress your guests. This is a light dinner for me, but it is perfect for an appetizer or a shared plate during a dinner party — just serve with your favorite wonton chips!
What do you think of this Ahi Tuna Poke Stack? Will you be making it the showstopper of your next dinner party? Let us know in the comments!
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