Chef Makoa
Ika Mata (Cook Islands Raw Fish in Coconut)
The Cook Islands bowl: fresh fish just turned in lime, softened with thick coconut cream, and kept crisp with cucumber, onion, and tomato. Same fish, different bowl.
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Heʻe Poke (Hawaiian Octopus Poke)
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Tender heʻe sliced thin and tossed with limu, ʻinamona, sweet onion, sesame oil, and paʻakai. This is Hawaiian poke, the tako bowl beside the ʻahi everyone knows.
Main Dishes
Polynesian, Hawaiian
Quick Meal
Potluck
Outdoor Dining
25 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield6 servings
My uncle used to say the reef feeds you only if you know how to look back at it. Heʻe, the octopus, is not just something you grab from the rocks and turn into a bowl. In Hawaiʻi this is our poke, heʻe simmered tender, sliced thin, then tossed with limu, ʻinamona, onion, sesame, and salt until the ocean is still right there in the bite.
Poke means to cut, to slice crosswise, and that tells you the method before any fancy talk starts. The heʻe has to give first. Cook it slow enough that a knife slides through the thick part without a fight, cool it down, then slice it clean and thin. Too thick and it chews back. Too much dressing and you bury the reef. No need make it precious. Just pay attention.
Across the Triangle, the raw-fish family has many names: oka iʻa in Sāmoa, ʻota ʻika in Tonga, ʻia ota in Tahiti, ika mata in the Cook Islands, and poke back home in Hawaiʻi. Same ocean, different bowl. This heʻe poke sits in that Hawaiian house, beside ʻahi poke and limu poke at the potluck, beside rice and plate lunch and whatever auntie brought in the cooler. Deep food and everyday food, both alive on the same table.
Poke is a Hawaiian word meaning to cut or slice, and early Hawaiian poke was built from reef and nearshore seafood seasoned with paʻakai, limu, and ʻinamona long before shoyu and sesame oil entered local kitchens through plantation-era Asian influence. Heʻe was an important Hawaiian reef food, caught with deep knowledge of tide, season, and place, then prepared in forms from simple salt-seasoned cuts to the tako poke common in contemporary Hawaiʻi. Its cousins across the raw-fish table, Sāmoan oka iʻa, Tongan ʻota ʻika, Tahitian ʻia ota, and Cook Islands ika mata, show one ocean feeding many islands without making them the same dish.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
cleaned heʻe (octopus)
Quantity
2 pounds
thawed if frozen
paʻakai ʻalaea (Hawaiian red sea salt)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
plus more to taste
ginger
Quantity
1 small piece
lightly smashed
sweet onion, preferably Maui onion
Quantity
1/2
thinly sliced
limu kohu or limu manauea
Quantity
1/3 cup
rinsed well and chopped
ʻinamona (roasted kukui nut relish)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
or toasted macadamia nuts, finely chopped
sesame oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
shoyu (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
green onions
Quantity
2
thinly sliced
Hawaiian chile pepper or chili pepper water (optional)
Quantity
1 pepper or 1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cleaned heʻe (octopus)thawed if frozen | 2 pounds |
| paʻakai ʻalaea (Hawaiian red sea salt)plus more to taste | 1 tablespoon |
| gingerlightly smashed | 1 small piece |
| sweet onion, preferably Maui onionthinly sliced | 1/2 |
| limu kohu or limu manauearinsed well and chopped | 1/3 cup |
| ʻinamona (roasted kukui nut relish)or toasted macadamia nuts, finely chopped | 2 tablespoons |
| sesame oil | 2 tablespoons |
| shoyu (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
| green onionsthinly sliced | 2 |
| Hawaiian chile pepper or chili pepper water (optional) | 1 pepper or 1 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4-quart pot for simmering heʻe
- •Sharp slicing knife for thin angled cuts
- •Wide nonreactive mixing bowl
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the heʻe
Rinse the heʻe well under cold water, rubbing around the tentacles so any grit comes loose. If the beak or eyes are still there, trim them away. The smell should be clean and briny, like tidewater, not sharp or tired.
- 2
Simmer until tender
Put the heʻe in a pot with enough water to cover, the paʻakai ʻalaea, and the smashed ginger. Bring it just to a boil, then lower to a quiet simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife slides into the thickest part with only a little give. Don't boil it hard. Heʻe gets tough when you bully it.
Frozen heʻe often cooks more tender because the freeze softens the muscle. No shame in that. Eat what you have. - 3
Cool and slice
Lift the heʻe out and let it cool until you can handle it. Pat it dry, then slice the tentacles thin on a slight angle, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Keep the pieces clean and glossy. The cut matters here because poke is the cut as much as the seasoning.
- 4
Season the bowl
In a wide bowl, toss the sliced heʻe with the sweet onion, limu, ʻinamona, sesame oil, shoyu if using, green onion, and chile or chili pepper water if you like heat. Use your hands or a spoon and turn it gently until every piece shines. Taste before adding more salt. Limu and shoyu already carry the sea.
- 5
Rest and serve
Let the poke sit 10 minutes in the fridge so the onion softens and the limu wakes up in the dressing. Serve cool, not icy, in a wooden bowl with rice, poi, or whatever the table has. This is potluck food. Make enough for the cousin who said he wasn't hungry.
Chef Tips
- •Buy heʻe from someone who can tell you where it came from and when it was cleaned. Good seafood smells like ocean and almost nothing else.
- •Limu kohu is strong and beautiful, so rinse it well and use a measured hand. Limu manauea is softer. If you cannot find either, use a little ogo, but know the bowl changes.
- •ʻInamona is roasted kukui nut with salt, one of the old Hawaiian seasonings. Kukui must be properly roasted and prepared, so buy it from a trusted source. Toasted macadamia is a safe weeknight stand-in.
- •Shoyu and sesame oil are part of how Hawaiʻi eats now, born from the plantation table and local kitchens. They belong when used with respect, not to drown the heʻe.
Advance Preparation
- •Cook and chill the heʻe up to 1 day ahead, wrapped tight in the refrigerator. Slice and dress it close to serving so the texture stays clean.
- •Rinse and chop the limu the morning of the meal, then keep it cold and covered.
- •Once dressed, heʻe poke is best eaten the same day. The onion gets stronger and the limu softens overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 125g)
Calories
185 calories
Total Fat
8 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
75 mg
Sodium
1600 mg
Total Carbohydrates
4 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
23 g
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