Hawaiian Style Portobello Mushroom Poke (Raw Marinated Mushroom Salad)

I love preparing fresh poke for my professional and personal guests! Poke (pronounced “poh-kay”) is a staple on the Hawaiian islands who’s popularity is fast spreading to the mainland. It is traditionally diced seafood marinated in asian sauce and seaweed. Although the Hawaiians used many different seafood, ahi has become synonymous with the dish.

The first retreat on Maui that I prepared this for was Mikka Minx’s Dance retreat in 2015, shortly after I first moved to Maui. It was a huge hit, and when I run into retreat guests I still get compliments on my poke. Gearing up for the next retreat – scheduled for November at Hale Akua – while in San Francisco I created this recipe in anticipation.

I wanted to capture what makes a classic poke so delicious – the rich flavors, textures, and playfulness. When I looked up vegan versions online I was not impressed – most use tofu or mixed vegetables, neither of which (to me) come close to the texture and allure of seafood.

Mushrooms have always been one of my favorite soy-free meat substitutes so I thought I would play with them. Portobello I chose for texture and flavor, but it is not grown on the Hawaiian islands. If you would like to stay local try substituting Ali’i trumpet mushrooms. I also added in a bit of shiitake for umami flavor, but kept the dice smaller since they tend to be chewy. The mango is for tropical flavor. Pineapple or papaya would both work as well.

The seaweed power I found in the famous bulk section at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco. This particular one is called Pacific Sea Vegetable Miracle Mix, and is a combination of sea palm, wakame, kombu, and nori. Feel free to experiment with any powder or chunky seaweed you would like! 

Ingredients

• 4 cups portobello caps, medium dice (about 4 medium mushrooms)
• 1 cup baby shiitake mushroom caps, small dice
• 1/2 cup cilantro, rough chop
• 1/4 cup green onion, fine chop
• 1 cup avocado, medium dice (about 1 avocado)
• 1 cup fresh mango, small dice (about 1 mango)
• 1/4 cup nama shoyu or tamari
• 1 1/2 tablespoon tagarashi powder
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon seaweed powder
• 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Method

1. Chop mushrooms into uniform sizes, omitting the stems. Place in a medium-large bowl and toss with salt.
2. Whisk together nama shoyu or tamari, agave, sesame oil, vinegar, salt, seaweed powder, tagarashi, cayenne. Note: Nama shoyu is raw and tamari is gluten-free, both will work. Omit tagarashi if you cannot find it
3. Toss liquid with mushrooms. Place in refrigerator. Note: Mushrooms may seem a tad dry after mixing, but as they marinate the mushrooms will release their own liquid.
4. While the mushrooms marinate chop your green onions, cilantro, avocado and mango. Take poke out and toss. Note: If not serving immediately, wait to cut and add the avocado so it doesn’t oxidize.
5. Serve family style within a few hours with sweet potato chips or cucumber slices or plate. Additional cilantro and tagarashi can be used for garnish. Note: Poke should marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving so flavors can marry. The longer it marinates the more liquid will release from the mushrooms, and the saltier it will get. If there is a large amount of liquid under the poke, drain it before serving.

Makes 4 cups of poke

So here it is! Please message me with any questions and if you make it tag @morepleaze in your photos! If you would like to join me in paradise for an incredible luxury dance retreat and micro-festival visit Mikka’s site to sign up! Tell her I sent you!