Entertaining

How to Throw the Perfect Poke Party

Because Pokemon Go isn't the only type of Poke-fun in town.

By Western Living / August 9, 2016

Because Pokemon Go isn’t the only type of Poke-fun in town.

Have you ever tried to make a poke bowl? It’s not as hard as you’d think, so says owner of Fresh Ideas Start Here Jenice Yu; it’s as simple as combining the right flavours in your sauce and drizzling accordingly over any sashimi-grade fish. If you’re really looking to impress, add smoked sea urchin, spot prawns, and/or ikura to impress your guests. Test your skills at Yu’s basic poke bowl recipe here, then take on your favourite of these three delicious sauces: avocado mayo, classic Shoyu, or spicy sauce.Yu (one of our 2016 WL Foodies of the Year Finalists!) also has four great tips to help you throw the perfect poke party:

1. Fish Must Be Sashimi-Grade

It’s important to remember that you should always take precautions when eating raw fish. First and foremost, it should be sashimi grade. When it comes to wild B.C. salmon, this means that the fish has been properly frozen to -45 C before thawing. Tuna of any kind are, for the most part, usually sashimi grade.

2. Always Serve Fish Cold

When setting up your poke party, get all your sauces and condiments ready before working on the seafood. Fish should be prepped and put out last for the best quality and freshness. Serve your diced fish in a chilled bowl and make sure that your seafood is always cold to the touch, preferably under 4 C.

3. Cleanliness Is Key

Always work with clean surfaces, knives, and hands when handling sashimi-grade raw seafood to prevent cross contamination. Wash your cutting board both before and after handling seafood. Disposable latex or vinyl gloves are also a good item to have at home if you’re handling fish on a regular basis.

4. Combine Different Textures

Toasted seeds—sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower to name a few—add a great textural accent to your poke bowls. For crunch and colour, dice crunchy vegetables such as cucumbers, radishes, and bell peppers are best. Ripe mangoes, avocados, and pineapple are refreshing summertime toppings.