To a diehard poke lover, there are few things in life more beautiful than those perfect little pinkish cubes. Yet to many who bear witness to the toppling bowls of raw fish, the dish begs the question of what exactly is poke? First, to spare you from any semantic snafus let’s work on pronunciation. Channel your inner island accent here folks! Poke, pronounced po-kay, is not the annoying finger jab or awkward Facebook Messenger feature. Poke stems from the Hawaiian word meaning “to cut or slice”. It’s a dish seen throughout the islands; fresh fish is sliced into small cubes then traditionally tossed with fresh seaweed, a pinch of salt, crunchy onions and shoyu sauce. Served on a cooked bed of rice, poke is best eaten while the rice is hot and the fish is still cool. As poke-fever spreads to the mainland, restaurants are more frequently including the dish on their menu and build-your-own-bowl shops are popping up in cities everywhere. Piles of avocado, local veggies and elaborate swirls of artisan sauces are putting smiles on faces far beyond the Hawaiian Islands. While Hawaii indulges the trends, typically ingredients are kept to a minimum. In Maui the focus and aloha are dedicated to preparing amazing fish. 

Our trip to Maui in Summer of 2017 allowed us to indulge a little (okay, a lot) in the motherland of incredible poke. Preparing a trip to the islands yourself? Add these poke stops to your itinerary and discover some of the best poke Maui has to offer!