I’m so glad that my husband, El Gringo, can find the time in his busy retirement schedule to catch our dinner from the Sea of Cortez. He has to leave the house at 5 am to catch bait and then has to spend the day with his buddies catching red snapper, yellowtail amber jack, cabrilla and pinto bass. It’s a sacrifice, I know. His only rewards are a couple of cold cervezas, a good time and oh by the way a few weeks of delicious fresh fish meals.

When the boat comes in, it is imperitive to make La Gringa’s version of Hawaiian poke. I use the yellowtail which is a close cousin of tuna and add my own spin with Serrano chili, wakame and sweet Mexican white onion. You can eat this with a spoon but we prefer to serve it with tostada chips and a dab of wasabi on the side. Delish.
I’m taking my poke to Fiesta Friday. Follow the bread crumbs for more delicious recipes. Our co-hosts are Sarah and Liz.

One word of caution, the bigger predatory fish like tuna, red snapper and cabrilla do have some mercury contamination so I limit our big fish meals to twice per month. You could make this poke with fresh Alaskan salmon for a safer substitute but the salmon aren’t swimming in The Baja, although the humpback and blue whales travel from the North to calve and winter in the neighborhood.

Mexican Yellowtail Poke

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh yellowtail or tuna, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced Serrano chili or to taste
1 tablespoon reconstituted and chopped wakame seaweed (optional)
1 tablespoon black and or white toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 key lime or 1 tablespoon of lime juice

Instructions:
Prepare fish and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients. Combine fish with marinade when you are ready to serve and not a minute sooner. You do not want the fish to be cooked in the lime juice. Serve with tortilla chips fir a Mexicana flare or crackers. Wasabi on the side is a nice touch for the sushi lovers in the crowd.
I serve this as an appetizer accompanied by cold cerveza, a margarita or a fruity vino blanco.

Savor every bite.