Ingredients:
For 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
For sriracha aioli:
1 tbsp. Sriracha
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Lemon juice
For fried shallots:
1 cup Shallots, thinly sliced
2 cups Vegetable oil
For poke:
4 pieces Yellow watermelon, cut into 4 x 4” square, about 1” thick
1 lb. Ahi tuna, cut 1⁄2” 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
1/2 cup Macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped 1 tsp. Black sesame seeds
1 ea. Mini-watermelon
Procedure:
- For the pickled mustard seeds: Combine all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer on low for 35 to 45 minutes until thickened. Allow to cool.
- For the sriracha aioli: Combine sriracha with mayonnaise and lemon juice and mix to combine.
- For the shallots: Heat a small sauce pot with the oil and shallots to 325°F, 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 1⁄2- 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 they run the length of the serving plate. Set aside.
- 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 and 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.
Courtesy of the Culinary Institute of America®
